Emily & Joe's Engagement

This is the post with the pictures!

First, here are a few pictures of Joe and Emily from our Thanksgiving Day trip to the beach:




On a sunny "Black Friday" morning, Joe and Emily decided to take another walk on the beach. This we knew, and over breakfast the Griswolds and I mulled over what might be the purpose of their walk. We waited long, and at last they came:







John Robert's contribution: "Bagels! Oh, good job, Emily."





Mrs. Griswold expresses her extreme shock:



A toast to the happy couple, with Mumm sparkling wine:





This final photo was not taken by me, but it does what I failed to do and captures Emily's beautiful white gold engagement ring:

Band Meme-from Fezzick and others.

This is who I would be if I was a band. Somehow I really doubt it....

Title: Grazialla de Michele
Band: About other People
Picture: Originally titled "More Love"


Laugh.

Hilarious! Must read for Catholic nerds!

http://ironiccatholic.blogspot.com/2008/11/theological-trash-talk-tips.html

Theological trash talk. 'Nuff Said! Courtesy of Ironic Catholic.

-Amator

Engagement

Joe and Emily are engaged! Pictures to come later...

Law Books

I am taking up Sylvia's advice and blogging. Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of to blog about is law books.

As a law student, I notice law books. I notice them everywhere. Particularly where they do not belong.

Law books have a very particular design, as modelled above. There base color is a dirty, ugly tan, with one or two black or red stripes on the binding. These ugly books make for an ugly library. Whereas a normal library has books of every shape and size, inviting one to wander the aisles at their leisure, with no particular object in mind, admiring this cover or that opening line, enjoying the books and all the secrets they contain for their own sake. Law libraries, on the other hand, are rows upon rows of tan books, of varying tan colors, and alternating red and black stripes. When one opens a law book, curious of what they contain, one is disappointed to find:

s. 1.704-3(A)(6) Basis adjustments. A partnership

making adjustments under s. 1.743-1(b) or

1.751-1(a)(2) must account for built-in gain or loss

under section 704(c) in accordance with the

principles of this section.

So much for "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . ." or "It is a truth universally acknowledged. . .".

What is particularly amusing to me as a law student is Hollywood's use of law books. You see, to Hollywood, ugly law books on a red wood shelf are the absolute sign of rank, stature, importance, and prominence. When you see a President in an office, there will be law books in the shot. When you see a high ranking military officer at a desk, there will be law books there. When you see a business man across the table from his clients, look for the law books because they will be there.

What is more amusing, is that in life law books always come in sets. 500 volumes of a legal encyclopedia. 50 titles for the US Code. A 30 volume series for legal practice. 10,000 volumes (in four editions) for the Court of Appeals decisions. However, according to Hollywood, that is not important. Four or six law books are enough, no matter what they are about, even if they are labeled volumes 6, 34, 17, 2 (in that order). Just make sure they are the same ugly tan with the same number and color of stripes on the binding.

Now that you have read this email, I will bet you that sometime in the next week you will see law books on the television somewhere where they do not belong. Watch for it.

Prose

My prose is bad; it makes me sad.

Lambie wishes to write to you, to tell you of his adventures and show you photographic evidence thereof, but his imminent departure to the temperate land of South Carolina makes it impossible. He may have more news to tell upon his return, though! He wishes you all a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Monday Brought to You by Mustard

Today is brought to you by mustard! (What an interesting looking word, if you study it at length, by the way.)

Mustard can come in a bottle:



It can also come in a jar:



However, mustard really grows in a field, like so:



And here are some nifty mustard-colored shoes:



Let the mustard flow!

Couldn't Resist

Mine is like an indie-metal band.

Colin, you will like this

A random band generating Meme!

I'm lazy, so see the Shrine post for directions, but my result is above.

Hmmm . . .

I saw a lot of this, too, on election day.  It astounds me how many people will defend to the death their right to vote, and yet make no effort whatsoever to find out about who they are voting for.

Coming Soon . . . the Adventures of Lambie!

Stay tuned . . .

Christmas in...November?

I'm taking Sylvia's dare and blogging :)

A few weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that radio stations in Philadelphia had begun to play Christmas music. I was astounded. A few days later, I realized that radio stations in my area were doing the same thing. What is going on here? Not only are stores putting us Christmas decoration the day after Halloween, Christmas/"holiday" music is now being played at the beginning of November. My initial reaction to this has been incredulity, and I've been trying to figure out the reasons behind this "Christmas craze."

I think the root of the problem lies in the lost, bored, and lonely feelings of secular society. Without faith, life loses much of its meaning. I've often thought how sad it must be for non-Catholics who go through life with hardly any fasting or feasting. The cycle of the Church calendar is actually very important for our human psyche, especially since we've lost the natural agrarian change of seasons. Having feasts, and celebrations, and times of fasting and penance, apart from their inherent religious significance, provides change and interest in our daily lives as events to look forward to and prepare for. Fasting gives meaning to feasting, and feast days throughout the year allow us to relax, celebrate, and take a break from daily life.

It is this idea of looking forward and celebrating that, I believe, lies at the root of the Christmas craze. Christmas is the only holiday which our secular society still really celebrates. Although the true meaning of Christmas is often overlooked, who can deny that just about everyone gets excited about Christmas? For once a year, people think again about family, giving, peace on earth, etc. Ideally, it's an opportunity for celebrating. And because it only comes once a year, people want to enjoy it as long as they can. Of course, without faith, secular society goes about it the wrong way. Christmas decorations, constant Christmas songs, tons of shopping for food and gifts, parties galore; these are the ways people try to fill the emptiness in their hearts, and they look for more opportunities to do it. And it won't make them happy. After all, that's the reason behind the depression which can follow the holidays. People get all hyped up, but there hearts are never truly filled, and so even Christmas leaves them empty. If you've ever experienced this, take a look at how your prepare for, and celebrate, Christmas. Do you prepare for Christ's birthday, and celebrate Advent and Christmas with spiritual fervor, or do you let yourself get caught up in shopping, decorating, partying, etc.?

I love Christmas. I love the decorations, and food, and family celebrations. And yes, I enjoy hearing the Christmas music on the radio. But I know there is more to the "holy-day" than all that. So while the world is telling us to "celebrate the season," let's try to remember what the "season" really is. First, it's November, the month of the Holy Souls, and we should be offering extra prayers for the souls in purgatory. Second, this Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King. Third, Thanksgiving is next week, a time to give thanks for all our blessings, and spend time with our family, instead of worrying which stores to visit, and what to buy, on Black Friday. Fourth, Advent will begin on November 30, and we should recall that it is a time of preparation. The rigors of Lent are not asked, but we should make an effort to pray, sacrifice, and prepare spiritually for the birth of the Savior.

We are entering a season of joy, but above all it should be a spiritual joy. Instead of just preparing for Christmas Day, and then suffering from post-holiday depression, let's concentrate on today, and the upcoming feasts, celebrations, and Advent season. Try a little extra prayer and sacrifice this season, then go to a good Christmas Mass. I think you'll enjoy the holidays a whole lot more. And while we can enjoy the early Christmas music, let it be a reminder to pray for all those who don't know the true meaning of Christmas.

Gross Coffee

Is it better than no coffee at all? Discuss.

Dare to Blog

I dare you.

Volunteering at the Hospital?

Lately, I've been thinking I need to volunteer at a place. I have grown more than a little self-absorbed and self-centered, and what's worse, I rarely meet "non-Christendommy" people even in this little town. I go from work to home to friends to church to some activity for me, then back to work (right, back to work!). I've come up with the idea to volunteer at the hospital. The hospital is a place I never, ever go: I don't think I have darkened the door of a hospital for at least two years. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to spread good cheer and good will there. So my plan was to start in January.

. . . but then I had an unfortunate practical thought: will going to the hospital regularly to volunteer make it likely that I will catch some illness or other and spread it to my housemates? Will I put myself in the way of all sorts of unheard-of infections? In other words, should I just find a better place to volunteer, like a nursing home or something? I haven't even started looking into the need of these various places, or the hours. What are your thoughts?

Addicted to Online Shopping, Trying to Recover

When you start to daydream about dresses you might buy, or even presents, you realize you may have a problem. I have gone to extremes in shopping online. In an effort to stop my shopping binges and regain control of my life, I have used the following instructions for some of my favorite shopping sites. The reason that it's not a problem for me to do this is that by now, mid-November, I'm almost completely done with my Christmas shopping.

1. Click Start->Run
   
2. Through the Browse, select "All Files" and open C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts using Notepad
   
3. Locate the line 127.0.0.1 localhost
   
4. To block the website spiegel.com for example, just add this text under 127.0.0.1 localhost:
   
   127.0.0.1 spiegel.com
   127.0.0.1 www.spiegel.com
   
   You can add as many sites any site, However you will need to prefix it with "127.0.0.1".
   
5. Save the file. Spiegel will now be blocked in all web browsers.
   

Events This Week - 11/10/08

This week looks to provide several opportunities for doing cool things, if you're into that. Moreover, all of them are free! Here are some of the highlights:

• Monday (tonight): Theology on Tap talk by Fr. Richard Mullins, at Pat Troy's in Alexandria, 7:30 p.m.
  
• Wednesday: Fortepiano recital given by Susan Duer, at Christendom College Chapel Crypt, 8:00 p.m.
  
• Thursday: Talk by Dr. Adam Schwartz and Dr. Robert Rice on Tolkien!! St. John the Evangelist library at Christendom, 8:00 p.m.
  
• Saturday & Sunday: Concert of Renaissance Polyphony by Collegium Cantorum, 8 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. respectively
  

Facebook

Good for you, Colin!

I have found since quitting Facebook that I don't miss it at all. One additional reason that I'm trying to piece together for myself and for my study (I'm going to write a paper on this topic) is that in some way Facebook and other "social networking" sites create a false reality that keeps the user plugged in to the detriment of their real social and personal lives. This may not always happen--as Colin pointed out, some people have the self-discipline to put Facebook in its proper place, as a tool to be used sparingly and only as needed. However, what has made FB so fun and appealing is their very tendency to allow escapism to creep in to your life. I need to think about this more, but these are my thoughts at present.

Vote!

Today is Election Day. If you are reading this post, please go out and vote if you haven't already done so! It won't take that long and it's your duty! Besides, you could get a free Starbucks coffee, so why wait? :-)