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I'll wager at one point in your youth there was that one Big Major Event That You Could Not Miss, and everybody was going except you, because your mother wouldn't let you go, because you were too young. When I was thirteen, that event was Men at Work coming to the Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville. They were at the top of the game with the Business as Usual album and the funny videos in heavy rotation on MTV, I thought Colin Hay was cute, and they were coming to town. So many friends and classmates were going, except me, because my mother thought I was too young for rock concerts. Granted, Men at Work did not give off the impression of being sinister satanic puppets (Ozzy came to town that same year, BTW), yet she was firm. She told me when I was older and able to drive and pay my own way, I could go to concerts. Men at Work would be around in a few years, she said. Well, you know what happened next. They won the Best Artist Grammy, AKA the Kiss of Death Award, and disappeared. I was so mad at Mom. Years passed, out of sight and out of mind, other Must See Events came and went, and the world did not end. Four years ago, near my birthday, Colin Hay and Greg Ham came to town as revamped Menfolk, and Malc took me as my present. What's the point of this story? Mom is always right, even if she is ten or so years off the mark. I'm just reminded of this after reading this article about a new show Colin Hay is doing. I still think he's cute. Eleven minutes and counting The March 26 issue of Jacksonville Business Journal has an article about me and Bob Stanton, along with some other JU-related writers. The article is not up on their website, but if you're in the area keep a look out for it. Welcome to the Ring Catholics for Bush Catholic Web Logs - actually a jumpstation for several logs The Little Elephant's Journey Observations from the Evil Juan Riddles of God To the Mattresses Unapologetics 2004/03/30
Malc and I have lost something very important. If you have a novena/devotion to St. Anthony going, please slip our names in, eh? Due to my sporadic checking and blogging, I'm a bit late jumping into the latest concern of St. Blog's, the MacFarlane marriage woes. It is a sad thing to hear of a marriage dissolving, more so given the situation of this couple, who founded Catholicity and the Mary Foundation, which prioritizes the importance of the family. I don't know either of the MacFarlanes personally - I met Bud briefly at the Catholic Writers Festival two years ago, not long enough to form an opinion, yet I had subscribed to his weekly message at one time. Seemed every week he glowed about his wonderful wife and sons (then there's this account of how the family came to be). It boggles the mind to look back on his words and wonder how such love could turn into accusations of cruelty and neglect, as was mentioned in a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article about this situation. Like I said, though, I don't know the MacFarlanes, and I don't know the details. I do hope, however, this works out for everyone and will add the family to my prayers. Malc and I are heading for ten years in July. I think we have had two really big fights in that time, one in which I actually contemplated packing a bag, but I never went through with it. Not that I didn't have a place to go, but I didn't think leaving would resolve much. It's essentially quitting, and there's too much in our marriage (especially right now) worth preserving to give up so quickly. I hope Bud sees that. 2004/03/29
We've lost one of the great big screen Poirots (no, not Albert Finney, though I liked him, too). And if you haven't seen Topkapi, you haven't seen one of the great heist films, better than the Clooney Ocean's Eleven, I think. Julia Roberts wishes she was Melina Mercouri. They should call this all-day sickness, but it's particularly bad today. Don't expect much here until I feel better. I have a theory about pregnancy: people talk about how pregnant women crave junk food...I'm wondering if that holds true for other junk things. This week I've been reading nothing but Olivia Goldsmith and Danielle Steel novels, two authors who will likely never be blessed with Viking Modern Library editions of their works. I don't want to do anything else. This is really getting old. 2004/03/25
Mmm, fried chocolate Batter-fried chocolate bars are not new. There used to be this place in Athens, GA that wrapped Hershey bars in tortillas, deep fried them, and served them with ice cream. They called it the chocolate chimichanga. Malc and I split one, and believe me it was enough for one lifetime. Keeping the faith or keeping a faith? How Hollywood worships. Not a very detailed article, just smatterings about what is in vogue. Apparently Demi Moore is into the Kabbalah thing now, having previously dabbled in Scientology and whatever Deepak Chopra is selling. I didn't know, either, that Denzel is a practicing Christian, as the article says. No denomination is specified, however. It would be interesting to see an article like this expanded instead of the short attention span newsbits we tend to get these days. My guess is he was dealing a meal and his hand slipped When I was visiting my friend Marni in LA she told me to keep an eye out at LAX, because sometimes famous people will be there walking the corridors unfettered. Turns out on the flight back to VA Richard Simmons was on my plane. He was getting off at the first stop in Detroit, and was signing autographs at the gate. Very subdued, and unlike this story no funny business happened. Since he was in first class, I didn't see him for the rest of the trip, but I can think of worse celebrities with whom I would not want to be stuck on a plane. 2004/03/24
Ok, here's the plan: we develop a sitcom based upon St. Blog's Parish, enjoy a lengthy run on network TV, then sell exclusive rerun rights to Lifetime for $600,000 per episode. That way none of us have to work again. All we need is an angle. None shall pass  Running away? You yellow . . . What Monty Python Character are you? brought to you by Quizilla And if you complain about this quiz, I'll bite your kneecaps off. Why I keep my day job The ugly side of publishing, from the POV of an author published by a big house. It's worth sitting through the ad to get the free day pass. 2004/03/23
Welcome to the St. Blog's Ring Blurry Flurry Catholic Thoughts Father McKenzie (with today's Paulie reference) Fiat Lux Misnomer Musing on Muses Retos Tagebuch (auf Deutsch) Stephen's Blog The Sleepless Eye Tis Good, Lord, to be Here Two Sleepy Mommies Home, home again...I like to be here when I can Back from Spring Break vacation, and all I got was an inbox full of work. I was wearing shorts all week. :-( More later when I come up for air. 2004/03/16
Welcome to the parish Fiat Revisiting Catholic Fasting Also, Catholic Culture, you've been in the ring according to my records, so you should be set. Let me know if you're having problems. I've seen mention on a number of blogs that they have applied for the ring but don't know what to do with the code sent to them. It's not that difficult. All you need to do is paste the code as is to any part of your template. DO NOT post it like a regular post, because it will disappear in time, and people will eventually not be able to find it to move to the next site. With Blogger, it's simple to do. Let me know if you need help. Please tell me there's not a Masturbation Awareness badge I shudder to think what it would look like. Michelle ponders a Girl Scout cookie boycott, due to this article emphasizing the organization's relationship with Planned Parenthood. When I was in Scouts over 20 twenty years ago, I had been aware that the Scouts took money from United Way, but never in a meeting did talk of any of the stuff in the aforementioned article ever arise. We learned to cook over campfires and use compasses and we made pottery. Was that not the whole point of the Girl Scouts - to learn useable skills? Granted, I doubt the need for Morse code will ever arise in my current situation, but I'm sure it's handier to know than other things. I'm pretty sure I could figure where to touch myself on my own. I don't think Juliette Low had that in mind when she formed the organization. My latest on Catholic Exchange, on Catholic romance novels. A few of our CWO members are mentioned. I have read Sea of Hope and Fabric of Faith, and both titles are very good and worth checking out for yourself or for a friend who likes sweet romance. 2004/03/15
Lucci, Susan Lucci... Shaken and Stirred No luck at the EPPIE Awards this year, either. Leaps of Faith didn't take the Anthology prize as I had hoped (I found it funny that an anthology of Christian sci-fi was up against, of all things, an anthology of erotica. I'm wondering if I should have put it in the inspirational category.). Kevin Paglia's Adam's Stone, which I edited, did not win in Inspirational, either. Maybe Pithed will fare better next year, if I have the entry fee to pony up. Coffee and doughnuts in the hall Mary at Ever New has set up The St. Blog's Parish Hall message board, for all parishioners, and anybody who wants to post, I suppose. He has only to pass Hank and the Babe Congrats to JPII, now third on the list of longest pontificates. 2004/03/12
Woman refuses C-section, saying she'd rather lose her babies than be cut. Scars heal, dead babies don't come back to life. I know a childless couple who put themselves through worse to conceive. It's stories like this that make me understand why there are people out there who are atheist. To anybody who posted a rebuttal on Commonweal's article, drop me a line and I'll link you to the b4G post I did this morning. Otto-da-Fae tries his hand at NARAL poster-making. You'll recall this is what got me into a lot of trouble a few years back (and tripled my traffic). Didn't realize that poster contest was an annual event. And NARAL uses the Statue of Liberty in their logo. Ick. Today, Fr. Shawn sends quotes from Will Rogers: "There had been times when I wished there had been as much real religion among some of our creeds as there had been vanity, but that's not in any way a criticism (of religion in itself)." "Can you imagine our Savior dying for all of us, yet we have to argue over just whether he didn't die for us personally, and not for you. Sometimes I wonder if His lessons of sacrifice and devotion was pretty near lost on a lot of us." 2004/03/11
Commonweal isn't too impressed with the parish. I don't read Commonweal; no mention was made of this blog or the webring, therefore no comment was made on this blog's orthodoxy as compared to some of the parish's more astute members. I was probably not visited, and if I was the author likely did not see much to mention. Apparently blatant Geddy lust is not liberal enough for the tastes of Commonweal. Maybe I should have waited until now to post that Bootsy Collins pictorial tribute. Anyway, the parish continues to grow, whether Commonweal likes it or not. Pax et Bonum and Roseanne Sullivan, for two, are now in the ring. Lots more in the queue, and as soon as you guys get your code up I'll add you. And to Commonweal: to paraphrase the words of Rita Mae Brown, if you don't like our blogs, start your own. I don't think I would ever want to join a club whose members would shoot me in the head. From the Christian Credibility Goes Boink Dept.: Communion for pets. Please remember the soul of Monsignor Patrick Madden, who passed away today. He was the pastor of my home church for many years. He was the priest who baptized me; he had retired a few years ago and was, with Bishop Snyder, the first resident of the recently built retirement home for priests located in North Florida. 2004/03/10
...who wiggled and jiggled and giggled inside her Had my first ultrasound today. Pictures forthcoming (I know, I keep promising Locks of Love pics, but I still have to finish the roll). It's still too soon to hear a heartbeat, but I could see it clearly on the monitor today. A little peanut with a pulsing center. I still find it difficult to believe there's something growing inside me, something with a beating heart, that one day will be as tall as I am. I hear about these extreme pro-life activists who use shock value to make their stand, distributing gross-out pictures of aborted babies to explain the terror of the procedure. I've never been a fan of tactics like that, and looking at my ultrasound today I wondered how anybody could look at such thing, see a tiny creature moving inside a human being, see a tiny heart beating, and think it would be okay for somebody to snuff out that light. I look at these pictures on my desk now, and know I could never do that. 2004/03/09
I'll take Potpourri for $500, Alex Still mulling over the Little Flowers contract. In the meantime, received a good evaluation from a publisher who offered to look over the preliminary outline and sample excerpts of The Muse Downstairs. Now I have to get off my butt and finish it. If you get This Rock Magazine, keep an eye out in a future issue for my review of A Travel Guide to Heaven. Was assigned another book to review, could turn into a regular gig. Whittling off the Things I Want to Do Before I Die: Rush tickets bought for Chi-town! I'm going up there for Book Expo, and wouldn't you know, that's the same weekend as the Rush show! Gonna be a busy weekend, and yes, I still plan to see them here. And the Lifeson moratorium is still in effect. 2004/03/08
Welcome to the Parish Conservative Teen Angst Musings of a Nun Wannabe WTF? Submission of the Week goes to Moloch Now, who signed up for the ring but doesn't have his code up yet. This will be an interesting decision for me, and I can he's made it easier since he hasn't put me on his enemies list...yet. Hey, did you know this is Read an eBook Week? Why not read an eBook this week? Hey, I have one for free at my homepage. Hey, I have even more for sale! The flowers will bloom again I've been offered a contract for the Little Flowers reprint. It won't be until December, 2005, however, when the book sees the light of day again. Still, it's better than disappearing forever. On the brighter side, this will give me time to take a serious look at the book and tighten up the story a bit. Play up the romance parts, narrow the POV (I had it hopping all over the place), maybe cut some unnecessary chapters and sections. Plus, I'll get a new cover (I never liked the original; I had been given one cover to approve, then the original publisher changed it because of printer issues. I'd like to design this one, use St. Therese to some extent this time. This time, too, I'm going to be more direct in the marketing. By playing up the romance angle, I'd like to get the book reviewed by some sources the original publisher did not consider the first time around, if they sent out the book at all. My word of advice to first-time authors: do everything you can. Don't wait for somebody else to do it for you. This time it will be interesting, since Pray For Us Sinners is also coming out in 2005. More later. Like a great big, online library Booksfree.com is being plugged all over Yahoo. It runs on the same principle as that online movie rental thingie; you pay a monthly fee to check out so many paperback books, then return them at the appointed time using their return envelopes. Technically, the books aren't free, because you are paying to read them. I can only guess the fee goes to postage. Sounds like an interesting concept, if I didn't have a library down the street from me. Still, I wonder if they'd take a donation from a starving author. 2004/03/05
Flirtinis and Barn Raisings, together at last Reality show putting Amish in the city greenlighted. Honestly, I will be so happy when this fad ends. I'm guessing what's next is a show where they shove 20 Catholic religious on a tropical island full of horny co-eds and keep track of who abandons his/her vows first. Don't tell me it won't happen. Just turn me over every two hours I'm wondering if it's the pregnancy that's causing me to feel so drained. I seem to have lost the desire to do even the simplest things. I just want to lie on the couch, and that's all I do when I get home. It doesn't help that the Biography Channel is now airing Night Court reruns. I might just quit my job. Why isn't that show on DVD yet? I never feel like reading or writing anymore. I hope this passes soon or I'm never going to back into the swing when the baby's born. 2004/03/04
Welcome to the Parish The Catholic Book Collector Catholic Packer Fan Genuflections, by CygnusX1 (another Rush fan?) Melting Fire The Tower A World of Speculation 2004/03/03
Native American Charlie Brown and Construction Worker Schroeder not included Peanuts-phile that I am, I tend to get a lot of themed gifts for my birthday and Christmas. The big things with the Snoopy Store these days are replicas of large character figures planted around St. Paul. Now it's Linus; check him out dressed as Leatherman from the Village People. Got a book in you? (registration may be required to read) Borders is now in the POD games with its own company; wonder how many of those POD books they'll be willing to carry in their stores... I'm guessing not many. Other book news: Whiskey Creek released Irish Magic by Anita Whiting, one of my edit jobs, a somewhat paranormal romantic suspense story. Hard to fit in just one category, but check it out if you like a little bit of everything. Also, JU professor Sharon Scholl just released a book of poetry from Closet Books, a publishing house run by my former high school English teacher. Their site is still under construction, but you can e-mail them for more info. Dr. Scholl was the head of Humanities at JU for a long time, not sure what she's doing now, but she's the latest in a string of JU profs to have a book published (you already know about Bob Stanton). 2004/03/02
Out of town for a long weekend. Big pile of work on my desk. I'm ready for another long weekend, and I might start right here. When staying in Richmond, we recommend the Linden Row Inn in the downtown historic district, and if you like pizza you have to go Sven Shine Inn off of Main Street near the college. Organic ingredients, brick oven flavor, and it's cheap. A little hard to find, it's underneath a laundromat, but it's worth the trip. If this guy lived in Athens he'd be a millionaire. Light blogging while I catch up today. Wading through nearly a hundred entries in the Pick the Oscars contest. Going to be heartbreaking because I saw a lot of votes for Bill Murray (I wanted him to win, too) and Diane Keaton. Won't say much about the show itself, except that you know you're in trouble when the best thing about the program is the Tiger Woods/Caddyshack commerical. Update: Okay, I guess it was unfair of me to neglect the Mitch and Mickey performance of "Kiss at the End of the Rainbow." Great seeing them again. Anyway, we have a winner - somebody went 9 for 9 on the picks. Nobody got the second tiebreaker of when the last award would be presented, though somebody wrote in "pretty damn late." I had it clocked at 12:06AM. Only
 
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