Dr. Trent Oakes

I've recently picked up again on reading Dr. Trent Oakes' blog. He has his PhD and is a researcher at Standford. He's an absolutely brilliant guy. He understands all things having to do with the intricatery of cell phone circuitry. I recommend you check out his blog: iamfullyintegrated.blogspot.com

He also has a twitter account and he can be found by the name Trent Oakes.

I really recommend reading his posts. They're odd and strangely fascinating at the same time.

An Oldie' But Goodie'

I thought I would resurrect this old video. I should seriously watch this whenever I'm having a bad day.

And a new one which my roommate and her boyfriend introduced to me. 

Lol! Poor kid! 

I Know I'm Not a Mother...

... and I am not quite sure yet as to what God has planned for my life. I often wonder what tasks he will set before me, and some of you know that I've spent the whole of my college life and time before that trying discerning a possible vocation.

But I have to admit, motherhood has always been something that I believe I've tended towards. I adore taking care of people, feeding people, giving out needed hugs (didn't used to like this factor quite so much), praying with people, tucking them in to to go sleep, etc. Having at least twelve children is quite appealing to me. I would homeschool all of them, teaching them not only in education, but also to love the little things in life such as fresh air, long walks, animals, cooking, baking, a hot cup of tea, books, and the list goes on. 

Here's a link to a very well written article on the beauty of motherhood which inspired me to write this post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

http://blog.bravewriter.com/2009/04/27/on-being-a-mother/

Like I said, I don't know what God has in store for me yet, but I shall continue to pray that I may always do his will and follow the path that he sets before me.

My 100th Post

This is it, my 100th post on Decorus Verum (Beatiful Truth). I must say, I love this thing. I've used this blog for venting purposes (as in frustration), to marvel at the joys of God's creation, to post videos I find hilarious and inspiring, and even for writing homework assignments. Writing has always been a favorite past time and every spare moment I have I've dedicated to this blog. I cherish the comments, the feedback, and looking at my sitefeed every Saturday, checking out how many readers I have. Even though I love writing for the sake of writing, it's nice to know someone's reading. And better than that, to think that something I should write or post could have an impact in/on somebody's life, this fills my heart with gladness and makes me feel as if I have done something worthwhile with my time.

God bless all my dear readers, whether you follow me regularly, or have just stumbled upon me and my little posts. (Except for the fact, that most of my posts are rather lengthy.) :)

Spiritual Booster

Today at JPCGU, we had an all school retreat. It was really wonderful. It started at 12:30pm with a full on lunch including sandwiches, chips, cookies, strawberries, soft drinks, and bottled water. Fr. Martin from Miles Christe came and gave two talks on faith, gave us time for quiet reflection, led us through a group activity and meditation on C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters, led us in an hour and fifteen minutes of Adoration, offered confession for as long as needed, and said Mass. Then we had dinner which consisted of catered Pat & Oscars. It was exactly what I needed in my spiritual life.

Unfortunately, in my academic life, I'm behind. Initially, I had 15-20 pages due for tomorrow (Wednesday) and I hadn't started them yet. At about 8:30pm, I was editing page 2 (and hadn't gotten any further than page 2), when I received an email from my professor saying that he can't come down tomorrow (he's from L.A.). Which means my script isn't due until next week! Yay!

The Joys of Being a Senior

Yes, that's right, I am a senior now. I have been for the past five weeks or so. This quarter has so far been one of the most enjoyable quarters that I have had for a long time. The classes I am taking this quarter are:

1. Documentaries
2. Senior Project: Pre-Production
3. Advanced Distribution and Marketing
4. Business Launch
5. Marriage and Family

This is the homework due next week:

1. What Would Google Do? (Reading: 20 Pages by Thursday)
2. Moviegoers to Marketing (Reading: 2 Chapters by Thursday)
3. Documentary Reading (60 Pages: DONE)
4. Study for Documentary Midterm (Monday)
5. LAUNCH BUSINESS and open bank account! (By Thursday night)
6. Identify at least five distributors (By Friday night)
7. Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body (Reading: About 60 pages by Thursday)
8. Catholic for a Reason IV (Reading: no clue, but it should be pretty easy by Thursday)
9. 15-20 pg. script (Wednesday)

These are the final projects due at the end of the quarter

1. Director's Notebook
2. Marriage and Family Paper (15-20 pgs.)
3. Documentary on Skeeter, the Rodeo Horse
4. Marketing Project 

Very Vivid Nightmare/Dreamsequences

I usually can't remember my dreams, but there are a few that I remember for years in intense detail. The most recent ones have been about JP Catholic being persecuted. For whatever reason, at very random times, I have dreams about JP Catholic's involvement in a second sort of Nazi holocaust, or being shot at by Communists. Once I had a dream that the whole school, in fact the whole of conservative USA was put into a concentration camp and the males and females were separated. It wasn't extraordinarily horrible, except for the fact that we most definitely not free. There was a huge security gate surrounding the camp and the males were separated from the females and everything was scheduled and we were watched like hawks.

This normally doesn't scare me, but every once in a while, I have a dream that does come true. It's usually not that big of a deal. It's just like, "Whoa." It's like dejavu or something. And when I was telling my roommate about the persecution dreams and how they weird me out, because they are so realistic, she told me that her sister had a dream about some sort of OK bombing the night before it took place. There was no way for her to hear anything about it, because no one knew it was going to happen. And then they watched the news the next day, and she goes, "That's the yellow truck!" It was the one from her dream. 

Anywho, like I said before, these dreams normally don't creep me out, but every once in a while...

I Hate It

I hate it when people are selfish, when they think of no one else except for their own feelings. It's so unchristian. Yeah, I know that we're human beings and we make mistakes sometimes, but when we are so self-centered as to not care about how others feel, that's a problem. That's why there are wars, and broken friendships. And the worse thing is, this syndrom seems to mostly occur in my life in MY SCHOOL. In a place where people claim to be Catholic and strive to impact the culture of Christ. If we are to impact the culture of Christ, we need to learn to be selfless and love each other as Christ loves us. We need to be one with Christ if we are going to change the world. And self-centeredness is not Christlike at all. On a non-religious level, selfishness is not only unattractive, it's immature. Grow up, people! I hate it, I Hate It, I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Rome, a Home Away From Home

As promised, I am posting yet another installment on Europe. My second destination of my two weeks abroad was Rome. It was mostly a wonderful experience, yet I could have lived without the first night, which is my topic for tonight. I will try to be as brief and as detailed as possible. (I wonder how that is going to work. If you read this blog regularly, you should know by now that I tend to be quite wordy. I apologize in advance.)

I'm sure you are all dying of curiousity to know exactly what happened our first night in Rome. The flight over on Ryanair was uneventful (thanks be to God), but when we got off, we had to figure out exactly how and which bus we were to get on in order to get to Termini. For your information, it's a bit more difficult figuring out transportation in Rome than in Ireland as everything is in Italian. Not to mention, we had heard many horror stories of being robbed in Rome. One of our professors actually had his glasses stolen off his face! We eventually found the right bus, bought our tickets, and headed off to Termini with all luggage. 

We reached Termini at dusk, exhausted, more confused than ever, and eager to get to the Convent (our host). We had been told to look for a Tobacco shop. The shop supposedly would be right outside the station and would have a sign with a white "T" and encircled by dark blue. There was nothing of the sort in site. I did know, however, that we would need a one week bus pass which could get us on pretty much any bus/train in Rome. I found a stand which sold something of the sort for 16 Euros. After much debate and a bit of arguing with my travel buddies, I decided to risk buying the ticket. Then we had to find the right bus. Once again, all the signs were in Italian. I had the "instruction" sheet in my hand. I was really about to lose it as was one of my travel buddies. Her fiance had no clue what was going on. You know what girls are like: highly emotional, their brains working a mile a minute, and they easily get frustrated with others who haven't got a clue (i.e. fiance). I felt like I was going to burst into tears, but seeing that my friend was at the end of her rope as well, I figured she felt the same way as me and that she would lose it if I lost it, seeing that was following my lead. So I took a deep breath, muttered under my breath, "Mother Mary, help me". And then it clicked. The sign post read the same destination as the piece of paper in my hand and I lead the way to the proper bus. 

Once on, we huddled in a group with our stuff in the middle. It was jam packed in there. So we were going in the right direction, but where to get off? "St. Joseph of Cupertino, come on buddy." (He and I are pals for life. ) And then Alena saw, (oh joy!) an automated sign naming off destinations and such. (The interesting thing is that this was the only bus I was ever on in Rome with one of these signs.) We got off at the bus, expecting to see well, the convent. We were told the bus stopped right in front, but where was it? So we started walking down the street. (It was dark at this time and we still had all our bags.) We asked a young woman, who only spoke Italian, and I pulled out the sheet and pointed to the address. Other direction. Okay, turn around. We reached the corner. Still, no convent. Ah, a grocery store. Again, we pointed to the address on the sheet. Other direction. Whoops, too far. ("St. Joseph, your job is not over yet.")  Then we noticed the very small plaques with addresses in tiny print next to huge doors in the big brick/cement wall. We eventually found our way to the big brown doors and were let in by the very nice Italian nuns, who, once again, spoke no English, but were quite friendly nevertheless. We were very grateful, but traumatized and scared of the huge and busy city which seemed to speak no English and have lots of walls covered in graffiti. 

After a very quick dinner at a small pizzeria down the street, we hurried back and talked to the school's R.D. for a bit who convinced us that we had have a wonderful time in Rome once morning came and we were well rested. And the sun would be out, which would make things a lot nicer. And we wouldn't have all our luggage. Another plus. "Just wait until tomorrow and approach the week with an open mind. You'll see. You're going to have a blast." 

And we did. I knew from the moment I stepped into St. Peter's Square and was struck by the sheer beauty of the architecture and the awesomeness of my Catholic heritage, that JP Catholic was going to have the experience of a lifetime in Rome. We were home.

Before I Post More About Europe...

I read these on a blog I stumbled upon today. They're based upon those "Chuck Noris" jokes which can be found pretty much anywhere. :) If you like Sarah Palin as much as I do, these should be enjoyable for you to read. 

Did you know that…

Sarah Palin does not have 5 kids, she actually has 7. Their names are Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig, Chuck Norris, and Jack Bauer.

The Northern Lights are really just the reflection from Sarah Palin's eyes.

The Russians sold Alaska to America because Sarah Palin would not submit to autocracy.

The Arctic Circle runs through Alaska so the Sun can have some relief from Sarah Palin's bright glare.

Sarah Palin is allowed first dibs on Alaskan wolfpack kills.

Sarah Palin is so pro-life that she personally hog-tied two reps from Planned Parenthood who came knocking at her door.

It's not raining in DC. Those are God's tears of joy that McCain picked Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin's hotness is the largest single contributor to melting polar ice caps.

Sarah Palin is the "other" whom Yoda spoke about.

Sarah Palin's presence in the lower 48 means the Arctic ice cap can finally return.

Sarah Palin fired Jack Bauer because he was too soft in dealing with terrorists.

Sarah Palin's pageant career ended early so other women could have a chance.

Sarah Palin's son Track is going to Iraq after the Surge, because a Palin during the Surge would have been unfair.

Sarah Palin wears glasses lest her uncontrollable optic blasts slaughter everyone. (X-Men reference)

Sarah Palin actually has Big Foot in her freezer.

Sarah Palin gave a speech in Texas after her water broke before flying home to Alaska to give birth. (Actually true)

Sarah Palin doesn't need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.

Sarah Palin once spilled coffee on Joe Biden & one of his $400 ties from Pink.

Sarah Palin keeps her hair in a beehive to hide her ninja weaponry.

Sarah Palin will personally open a homemade can of whoopa** on Ahmadinejad, Putin, and Chavez as soon as she's done making mooseburgers for her kids.

A grizzly bear once tried to stare down Sarah Palin. Once.

Sarah Palin will send Joe Biden a pre-debate cheat sheet. The sheet will have tips on defending against Kung Fu Death Grip.

Sarah Palin became governor because five children left her with too much spare energy.

Sarah Palin will give birth to the man who will lead humanity's war against the machines. (Terminator reference)

Three of Sarah Palin's 5 kids came out sideways and she never flinched.

Global Warming doesn't kill polar bears. Sarah Palin does. Generally with her bare hands.

Sarah Palin was the original "Deadliest Catch."

Sarah Palin paid her way through school by hunting for Kodiak pelts with a slingshot.

Alaska is the 49th state solely because they knew even in 1959 that Sarah Palin never finishes last.

Chuck Norris wishes he was Sarah Palin trapped in a man's body.

Sarah Palin once won the Iditarod without any dogs. She simply willed the sled to victory.

Sarah Palin wears half the makeup that John Edwards wears and still looks like twice the woman he does.

Sarah Palin once guided Santa's sleigh through an Alaskan blizzard with the light from her smile.

Sarah Palin fishes salmon by convincing them it's in their interest to jump into the boat.

A Bit More on Ireland Before Moving on to Rome

The vast majority of the time exploring Ireland was spent on foot (an excellent way to catch all the littlest details) and on the bus, which could pretty much take you anywhere. There was one day, however, where I was fortunate and blessed enough to spend a day with the Connolly Family and the O'Hare Family. I had never had so much fun than I had that one day when I traveled in a car all over the coast of West Ireland with some of my favorite people. We saw churches, heard some Gaelic, skipped stones over ocean waves, climbed craggy rocks (which are quite plentiful in Ireland), and explored some old abbey ruins and an old fort. And I managed to take some pictures. Almost seven hundred to be precise. :) The one posted below won out in the "Epic" category of John Paul the Great Catholic University's European photo competition. I must say that it did have some rather incredible competition.

Sitting in the Dublin Airport

Hello, My Dear Readers! (Whoever still reads this thing.)

It may seem as though I have been neglecting my blog. I just want to let you know that I have been.... although it's for good reason. I've been in Europe for the past two weeks! I can't believe how the quickly the time flew bye. Two weeks ago, I was arriving in Dublin and taking a four hour bus ride to Rosscarbery,  Ireland. It is here where I hope to summarize my adventures in Ireland and Rome and hopefully you enjoy reading them (almost) as much as I enjoyed the actual experience.

As referred to above, I spent my first week of the trip in Ireland. It was there that I finished up a course on Global Ireland. Our assignment was to choose six specific topics and talk to the people about those topics. We then were to proceed handwriting a thirty-page journal about what we learned from the locals. Two issues here:

• First off, I really dislike talking to strangers. It terrifies me and I was terrified for probably the first three days. But there were pages to fill and how was I to fill those pages without talking to anyone. So I took a deep breath, said a brief prayer, and approached the young woman in the tourist office. She was actually very nice and told me lots of things about each topic. What should have been a two minute sales transaction turned into about a half an hour.
• The second issue was the fact that I had seemed to pick a normal size spiral notebook in which to write my thirty pages. Practically every single other student had brought composition notebooks which happen to be much smaller in size. Further, my handwriting tends to be rather small. After accusing the others of cheating, I somehow managed to fill my assigned thirty pages with solid information, rather proud of the fact that I had written more than the rest of everybody. 

Note: I did talk to more than one person on the trip.

I did a lot of walking and adventuring throughout the rural sections of Ireland. It was extraordinarily scenic and wonderful to experience cooler weather. I will provide an account of my second favorite adventure during my stay in "Ross" (as the locals call it).

I believe it was my second to last day in Ireland or my last (I think it was the latter), and myself, two fellow students, and the sister of one of those students decided to go for a nice walk along the coast. It was quite lovely and we made our way off the paved path a few times to explore the shore, tidepools, and climb some craggy rocks. (Just a side note: Flat stones along the coast in Ireland and it is a rather delightful thing to watch them skip along the surface of the water.) Opposite the shore, on the other side of the path, there are tall grassy slopes which lead one further and even closer to a more scenic view of the ocean. We took these unknown slopes and soon found ourselves on narrow paths, walking through mud and thorny brambles. However, we were determined to find an unknown scenic resting place, so we continued on our journey. We finally made it to some cliffs, took pictures, and sat to rest. We chatted with one another, discussed a variety of things ranging from utterly ridiculous to fairly serious. 

Before we knew it, the day was coming to an end and we wanted to make it back before dark. Somehow, the group of four was separated evenly in two and we took separate paths. I was slightly behind my fellow student's sister and as I was pondering my route under the twisted barbed wire, when my footwent through the bank. My right leg sank into the mud just above my knee. I was stuck. The mud felt like a suction, holding on to the new tread of my boot. I needed my boot to stay on my foot and I knew that if I pulled out only my foot, I would never be able to pull my boot out of the mud. Fellow student's sister called to the other's for help, but they were out of earshot, so I knew it was up to me. I tensed my foot in my boot and wriggled around, felt it loosen, and entwined my fingers in grass. 1-2-3 HEAVE! I pulled my leg out, boot and all. 

We caught up with the others and I enjoyed entertaining them with my tale. Needless to say the rest of the trip back was uneventful, except for the fact that my right leg was rather heavy, due to the fact that it was caked with mud.

And so I come to the end of my adventure. I have been writing this post for the past hour or so while sitting in the Dublin airport, waiting for my next flight. (Hence, the title of this post.) Since so much has already been told and I do not want to bore anyone, we will leave my most favorite adventure in Ireland for another time and another day. As for my adventures in Rome, I can assure you all that they are quite plentiful and soon to come as well. I promise as well as hope to write again soon!

May the Lord pour his blessings out in abundance upon you!

Ciao!

A.K.C.A.L.

A Quick Update On My Life

These are my reasons for not posting as often as would like/as I should.

• 8-10pg. paper due Friday (was due tomorrow), but Professor Barber gave everybody an extension.
• I'm currently producing a short film due next Wednesday. We've had tons of problems with it.
• Global Cultures homework due this Friday
• Masterpieces of Literature, Art, and Music III homework for two weeks and we have our final next week. :P
• Sound Final on Monday and Tuesday
• I need to get ready for Europe, which I leave for on February 28th.
• In Europe, I will be writing a thirty page handwritten journal on six topics I learn about in Ireland.

Pray for me! (I need all the intercessions and help I can get.)

It's Raining

I'm sitting on my porch as I type, watching it fall into puddles on the pavement two floors below me. Rain inspires me to write. I don't know why, but it does. This is not meant as a flowery post, however. As much as I love this much rain, I pray that we get very little tomorrow, because we're filming. We're shooting indoors; we can be greatful for that. But it's such a tight space that I fear for the extra equipment and the various crewmembers who can't find a safe haven indoors. I love the rain, but why is it always plentiful on inconvenient days?

Abortion from the Standpoint of a Jewish, Liberal, and Democrat Uncle

The Walk for Life is taking place this weekend in San Francisco. Thousands will gather to walk for a great cause, the end to abortion which kills 42 million children a year and 115,ooo children per day. Catholics and Christians alike have fought this great evil for years. 

I have an uncle, originally from the east coast, who is now living in the bay area. He is Jewish, a liberal, and a Democrat, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is one of the many U.S. citizens who voted for Obama in our past presidential election. However, he has taken a pro-life stance and has sent (or is sending) too letters to our new president over the issue. It's interesting however, to see a pro-life stance from a non-religious standpoint. The second was better than the first (much more organized). So, here is his letter. (Beware, it's lengthy, but I thought it was worth reading and so I am taking the liberty of posting it.) I apologize if the format is slightly off; I copied and pasted from word.

Letter to Barack Obama Concerning the Dialog on Abortion:

Slow Down, Urge America into Real Thought

 

Aaron Schultz

4720 Englewood Drive

San Jose, CA 95129-4413

 

CC:          Congressman Rahm Emanuel

Congressman  Mike Honda

                Vice President Joe Biden

                Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State Ken Salazar

Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Daschle

Attorney General Eric Holder

                Senator Harry Reid

                Senator Barbara Boxer

                Senator Dianne Feinstein

 

1/23/09

 

Dear President Obama,

 

Congratulations on your inauguration.  The country watched in awe at the first ever ascension of an African-American to the highest office of the land, me not excluded.  I am, of course, happy at the fulfillment of reasonableness, fought for bravely by many for decades and centuries – that someone of any color, race, and sex can hold high political office in this great nation.  But for my part, I am equally excited by your consistent platform of acceptance of dissension, of fostering dialog, of consensus building, and of shared sacrifice.  The country needs your leadership.

 

In this spirit of dialog, of searching for truth, of consensus building, I humbly submit this note.

 

Writing not as a Democrat or Republican, not considering one religion or another, in fact only pandering to reason and morality, I submit that you have a golden opportunity to lead the country to true ethical and intellectual greatness.  People on many sides expect and hope that you drive an abortion agenda, whether for or against.  It would appear that protecting reproductive rights is unto itself a noble thing.  However, we must consider morality as a whole.  What makes sense?  What is reasonable?  The opportunity has been placed in front of you to stop the train and instead engage the country, slowly, in what in my view is the best way to deal with the issue.  If the country stops and thinks, then a much more believable consensus can be derived.

 

I have a 10 second rule concerning abortion.  I say to my fellow citizen, “Consider for more than 10 seconds late term abortion.  Note that it is massively hideous torture against a person that undeniably exists.”  After the 10 seconds, when the fellow is expectedly horrified, then the fellow considers the fetus at varying stages.  It is valid to note that all body systems are assembled at 2 months, brain waves are detected from 1-2 months, and a heartbeat is heard at18-22 days.  After this very quick review of undisputable facts, I say, “How, then, are we so confident when life is or is not?  How do we know whether most abortions at any stage of pregnancy are not murder?  If you are pro-abortion, then you must support your position and actually believe it in the context of ALL of your doctrines.  Otherwise you do not deny that abortion might actually be murder on a scale almost inconceivable.”

 

This thought experiment has no relationship to pro-choice propaganda, pro-life religious doctrine, women’s health, Democrat or Republican stances, insurance companies, women choosing things, men choosing things, race, rape, incest, history of legislation, “but it’s already legal,” Roe versus Wade, economic hardship, other judicial decisions, etc.  All of these hyped aspects in society muddle the core problem.  Each tries to weigh in without dealing in the real predicament.  Abortion is a moral issue, and it must be taught so.  Naturally, these other factors do play a role, particularly women’s health, women’s rights, and rape, and need to be considered in effective, workable legislation; however, being ancillary, their treatment should not overtake the fundamental question.

 

Whether abortion is right or not should not be decided on sound bite opinions that adhere to party lines.  What is needed is downright honest treatment.  Is it murder or not murder?  Everyone needs, inconveniently, to go through a thought process and come up with an answer.  Only then can there be real progress on the issue.

 

We can also note

 

·          There is a move to close Guantanamo Bay torture house prison.  Excellent.  Why do anything, then, to enable late term abortion, which can easily be videotaped to expose grotesque torture?

·          There is a move in the new government to enact change.  Then re-evaluation of the past is inherently acceptable.  Roe versus Wade exists, but why drag it along as a given.  Why not instead think from scratch?

·          “Viability” has been bandied about as a means to determine when abortion is allowable.  It is important to note that medical technology has changed how many weeks of pregnancy represent viability.  Thus viability is not useful as a measure.

 

The premise, then, is that abortion should be considered, deeply, by every American for a significant time, weeks or months even, not quickly to win a personal exchange.  I validate this premise not from theory, but from practice.  In a real example, in two written paragraphs I turned a staunch, old-timer Democrat who believed in the pro-choice mantra into an anti-abortionist.  He had not considered the issue previously because for him it had been muddled by religious involvement.  When he thought about the issue of murder versus not murder, unencumbered by “being pro-choice” or “being pro-life,” he was able to think clearly and for the first time ever develop a real opinion.  He continues happily to espouse and support the Democratic political party, but chooses to have separate opinions concerning abortion morality.  Not everyone will be an anti-abortionist, and perhaps pro-abortion arguments can be validly made.  At least people need to be motivated to think deeply, not shallowly, about the human baby present in every case.  Men cannot choose to murder.  Can women?  Is it murder or not?  Reproduction includes both the woman who has rights to be sure, but also a baby.  It must be decided and legislated, not guessed, whether abortion is murder.  Pro-choice is legislation by non-legislation.  It very weakly decides not to decide on the murder issue.

 

You have the respect and admiration of America.  You can lead on the abortion issue:

 

·          Lead, not follow, by slowing down. 

·          Lead, not follow, by taking up the issue seriously, not pandering to groups with pre-ordained positions.

·          Lead, not follow, by informing the public that it is an important moral issue.

·          Lead, not follow, by exhorting the public to real debate, by teaching of the real need to decide whether murder is involved, by motivating people to think deeply.

 

If you candidly and repeatedly suggest that abortion is a difficult, important issue, and do not jump in quickly to match up to expected party lines, you will be not only a leader, but a hero of the intellectual, moral, and philosophical traditions of the West.

 

There is one more test, similar to the 10 second rule.  If you imagine a policy that you can support, with science and reasoning and morality and ethics and religion all at your disposal, devoid of loopholes and inconsistencies, and deliver that policy in a convincing way in a speech to the entire country and also to yourself, then you can rightfully act upon that policy.  If your policy does not stand the test of debate, dialog, reasoning, logic, morality, and religion, and consistency, then the policy is nothing more than unsubstantiated partisan rhetoric.  Policy which does not stand the test of reasoning and morality, nay policy that you would avoid orating upon at length, is irresponsible because there are measurable consequences.

 

There are many issues on the table for you.  The country is suffering.  Abortion is but one issue, important to some and irrelevant to others.  As the dust settles from the inauguration and the real work begins, it is important to note that bows with readied arrows await your move on abortion, so that they can cut you down in the aftermath.  You will help to unify the country by quieting those whose existence depends on what they predict and hope will be your mistakes.  Rather than maneuvering on abortion in ways that will create further moral divide in America, please consider slowing down and engaging openly the country in earnest thinking.  Let America unite and decide, slowly, only after public discourse, about abortion.  After the public ruminates and articulates its opinion, then political parties can validly change, retain, or create their stances so as to represent the people better.  After such a process, America will stand more united than divided.

 

Thank you for renewing hope in America,

 

 

Aaron Schultz

 

Something Lovely I Picked Up

I stumbled upon this hymn while I was praying a couple nights ago and I found it rather beautiful. It was printed for the 29th of December in Magnificat.

God's glory to the temple comes

And enters by the eastern gate

And fills the house with hidden flame

For whom the aged prophets wait.

They sing the wonder they have seen 

Though other eyes see nothing yet,

For one day this refiner's fire

Will burn where suns arise and set.

And all the nations then will see

The light that spills from Zion's height

And purifies our blinded hearts

Till sin-dimmed eyes can see aright.

The price is high: a piercing sword,

A cross that asks of us to choose

The fire that cinders selfishness-

For we are saved by what we lose.

O Mary, bear to us the flame 

As once you bore him to the place

Where Abraham laid Isaac, bound, 

And where you chose the bitter grace

To see the sword strike down your Son

That from his tomb the fire might rise

And set the universe alight

With God's own love, life's truest prize.

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's almost Christmas! The house has smelled wonderful and I believe that it will continue to smell wonderful. Yesterday, we went to the store and bought ingredients for torta, biscotti, and crap ciappino, all traditional Christmas meals in my family (on my mother's side). Today, we went and bought a cross rib roast and fancy Italian bread. Here is our menu for the next two days.

Christmas Eve

• Dinner:
• Crab Ciappino
• Nice Bread
• Salad
• Dessert: Opera Cakes 

Christmas Day

• Dinner
• Cross Rib Roast
  
• Torta
  
• Dessert: Tiramisu

For those of you who might not know, the torta is probably my favorite thing on this list. It has a thin crust and is filled with ricotta, spinach, potatoes, salt, pepper, and a few eggs. The crust is the trickiest part and it is traditionally said, "Now, don't handle the crust too much or else it will become tough". Therefore, the strongest person in the household is ordered to roll out the crust. We made the torta yesterday and, as happens every year, our hands were soon covered in flour, as were our aprons and our clothes. Much to my ignorance and disapproval, Bridget happened to videotape and take pictures. It's not like I mind either of those things. I would just rather that she trained the camera on someone else rather than myself. The torta is traditionally a favorite part of any Christmas meal and is a source of great pride. My grandfather is about to cut the torta at his house. (It's quite the momentous occasion.)

Currently, I am typing in our living room, sitting next to our tree with hundreds of multicolored lights blinking out from under the branches. Our family has never believed in a themed Christmas tree. Hanging from it's branches are ornaments of many colors and many years, homemade and storebought, glittery silver snowflakes, shiny colored balls (green, red, silver, gold, and white), and red and gold beaded garlands. An angel in a white and silver dress and soft wings tops it all. My brother did the honors, because only he and my father are tall enough. Celine Dion sings "Blue Christmas", an old Christmas classic. This morning the family sat around the family room watching, "It's a Wonderful Life". We still have "White Christmas" and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Tonight, we will go to Holy Mass at 10:00pm.

Moving on, the weather is quite lovely here in SD. Chillier than usual and cloudy. A storm is supposed to move in tonight. I love going to sleep while listening to the rain hammering the window and falling on the roof. I love the exhilaration of burrowing under warm covers, grateful for a solid roof over my head. 

Christmas is certainly a lovely time of the year. It's wonderful to be home with the family for a solid three weeks and to have a rest before continuing with education. However, I want to stress the importance of remembering why we celebrate Christmas. On Christmas morn, a small babe was born to a fifteen year old girl, a virgin who had every reason to be afraid and yet she found every reason not to be. How was she to know that this little infant who had come into the world was to save the world from sin by death, His death by crucifixion. Let us celebrate his birth and our salvation by his birth this Christmas! Let us remember why He came and let us all have a very Merry Christmas!

About a week ago, I could hear the voice of Mother Angelica in the other room saying, "Remember that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. What are you giving him for his birthday?" Of course, it was the subject of that particular show's talk, but seriously, what are you giving Jesus for his birthday? Remember, that whatever you do for the least of His people, you do it for Him. Give Jesus something for his birthday this year. Sing to Him. Say a special prayer for the world, our soldiers at war, tithe, do something.

Merry Christmas my dear readers and a Happy New Year! Goodness, it is almost 2009. Time does go by fast, does it not?

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Thoughts for the Day

I love sitting by the Christmas tree and looking at the little multicolored lights and the packages wrapped in colorful paper. A particular parcel is wrapped in brown and orders, "Do Not Open UNTIL CHRISTMAS". Our Christmas stockings hang on the wall, because the fireplace would be in the reach of a certain overexcited Aussie. The cardtable has been draped with a white tablecloth and a mini Christmas tree has been hung with tiny ornaments. The porcelain nativity scene reminds me of what Christmas is all about. (It also brings back memories from when I was a wee little one. They would fall over and their heads would fall off. And mom would say, "Don't worry, Dad can glue them back on".) 

And as you could probably guess by the sentimentality of this post, it's raining. I become most descriptive in the rain. My creative juices flow best in this weather. (There's a small pun. Did anyone catch it or did it run through your fingers?)

If I don't blog soon, I want to wish all my readers, (because I know there's so many of you), a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!

Bold Everything You've Done Game

Something I found on a friend's blog. :)

How to play, bold anything you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - not yet, unless you count a room, which is under a roof, which is under the stars. :)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland or DisneyWorld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - but I have come close.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning 
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hike
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse - I think so.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors -- I've been to the country (Mexico), but not the cities they were from
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language 
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - Indoors :)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David 
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted 
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - I will in a couple months!
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain 
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - In the process
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen 
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching -- Yes, with the Lawlesses at Dana Point.
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone 
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand-new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House 
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury -- next week!
91. Met someone famous 
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

In Succession to Post on John Williams

Okay, so what I did not realize is that the first video I uploaded is actually a guy who is friends with the group that first sang "Star Wars Acapella". He is actually lip sincing and did such a good job that I actually thought he was singing. Apparently, he can actually sing and is putting together a CD. The actual group is called Moosebutter and they recently made a video of the original song by their original group of four guys. Here it is! I never tire of it and I hope you enjoy it as well! :)