Man of Leisure

Holy Week

It's almost the end of Lent: tomorrow at 4:30 p.m., we will enter into the most sacred three days of the year, the Triduum. I am most excited - these forty days have flown by, mainly because I failed to observe them properly. I didn't give anything up, I didn't commit myself to any practices meant to increase my charity. I am a bad Christian.

Now that that public confession is out of the way, it's time to focus on the good things that are happening. The academic year is winding down, though many students and staff are feeling the stress building. For myself, I am getting things done, acting ambitious, and generally feeling pretty good about life. We've certainly had some challenges, and pain, but I am pretty satisfied with the way things are shaking out and the lessons that are being learned.

This summer is looking to be busy. My brothers in the 1999 Novice Class for the Western Dominican Province are going to make their final vows at the end of May, so I hope to travel to the Bay Area to join them for this momentous occasion. It will be an event both joyful and sad for me; happy for them, sad for the fact that it didn't work out for my own vocation. If I weren't so happy with the way that it has worked out for me, I might be overcome by the occasion. But the Church and the Province are stronger for these men: Jerome, Vincent Mary, Michael Joseph, John Thomas, and Anthony.

I head off to Mass in the Blessed Andre Besette Chapel now, but I wanted to give a link to a project that I've recently restarted: the LeisureWiki, a form of "external brain" that I use to keep track of notes and ideas. Check it out.

RPS Comedy

Rock, Paper, Sadaam is a can't miss site full of the comedy. Oh man, hysterical!

What's up? I've been working like a puppy lately. You know, sniffing around, checking out the lay of the land, and gettin' it done. It's been so busy since school got out, that I've not had a chance to sit down and put my typing fingers to the test. But I've had a lot of fun: the Tom Gannon Disconnected Novena has been going well, and this weekend I'm getting out of town to head to the Hallenius Family Reunion in Omak, WA. It will be great to see the family and reconnect. Since this is the only trip I'm taking this summer, I have to make the most of it!

On the domestic haps, I've spent quite a bit of time with Ms. Julie lately. We took in the 4th of July fireworks over the Columbia River together, along with my cousins and their S.O.s. What a show!

I haven't seen too many movies lately. Fr. Claudio and I watched (and enjoyed) the Italian thriller I'm Not Scared (IMDb link). It was so unlike any film I'd seen in years, quite touching and very engaging. The director did an excellent job of balancing the carefree attitude of the children with the pathological actions of the adults. I hope it gets nominated for an Academy Award.

I haven't seen Fahrenheit 9/11, nor do I really intend to. I'm not a Michael Moore fan, because I feel it's unfair to present his material as "Documentary", when clearly it's Op/Ed. Read this piece for details on Moore's latest exploits.

What A Vacation!

As my host Fr. Bill pointed out just before I left Manhattan, it's hard to imagine packing much more into a 6-day New York City visit:
Carnegie Hall (Philadelphia Symphony featuring piano virtuoso Lang Lang)
Fresh Grilled Bacon at the Gramercy Tavern
Frankfurters and papaya juice at Gray's Papaya (twice!)
"Avenue Q", a smash Broadway hit
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The American Museum of Natural History
The Guggenheim Museum
"Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself", an awful arthouse movie
Fr. Bill's birthday dinner at Tamarind, a very tasty Indian restaurant
Shopping for gifts in SoHo and on Canal Street
Lunch at the Hello Deli with Ruppert Jee, star of The Late Show with David Letterman
Pints of beer at McSorley's Tavern, a New York institution since 1854
Several lovely meals with Fr. Bill's friends
Meeting up with my high school pal Marc Bailly
Destroying my feet by walking far more than I've ever done before...

All in all, I'd say it was a great week!

The American Museum of Natural History

Fr. Bill and I visited the American Museum of Natural History today to see the Petra exhibit. Aside from the fact that we got the shaft on admission (they didn't tell us that Petra was an extra charge, so we had to pay twice), we had a good time making fun of the exhibits. And we agreed that it's not worth the extra admission for the Petra show, and that the AMNH is disappointing all the way around. See the Metropolitan Museum of Art a second time - you'll never see more than a fifth of what they have to show on any given day anyhow!

A highlight photo from the day:

A Fine Day in NYC

I am sitting in a saloon just a half-block off of Broadway, enjoying a pint of cider and waiting for Bill and his friends to show for dinner. I spent the day shopping for gifts and schlepping around the city. And a fine city it is, I must say.

I took lunch at Ruppert Jee's Hello Deli, where I enjoyed the Shaffer sandwich - loyal readers will recall that I had the Shaffer the last time I was at the Hello Deli, last July. Since Dave Letterman isn't filming this week, it was easy to walk in to the deli and get served right away.

It was a fruitful day of shopping in SoHo. If you're reading this, Mom or Julie or Brendable or Rudy or Thomas Wayne, you'll be pleased to know that there's a nice gift coming your way when I get home...

Another Favourite Photo

I've received a lot of flak for not posting anything in a while. I humbly apologize. I shall attempt to remedy the situation.

To tide you over, here's another favourite from the iPhoto collection, this one from my December 1999 trip to Rome. I'll bet you haven't seen anything like this in America since at least the mid-1980's.

That's right. It's a styrofoam Big Mac(r) box, being propped up by a styrofoam Filet-O-Fish(r) box.

Do you share my nostalgia for the "good ol' days"?

Confidential to Mike in Portland-Still waiting for the basement tapes, buddy. See you at 10 in the Multipurpose Room.

Preparing For an Exam

I am sitting on the couch reading the first five chapters of How To Read a Book again in preparation for my second Shared Inquiry discussion tomorrow morning at 9:30. If I get up in time, that is.

Here's the thing about staying at my parents' house. Because it's not my UP home, I get to sleep deeply (since I know that I won't be awakened to respond to some emergency in the residence hall). And, because it's the home where I grew up, it's HOME. So when I sleep, I sleep deeply.

I had a lovely time at lunch today with my Safeco friends Morris, Carolyn, and Jeannie. It was interesting to talk to people who are on edge with worries of impending layoffs. I hope they all make it through, though I know all too well what it's like to have the freedom that sudden joblessness grants. You're in my thoughts and prayers, friends!

--composed on-the-go using my Sidekick

On the Road Again...

I finally got away from Portland, but only after the Noon bell had struck - then the 1 o'clock bell. I didn't get everything done that I had hoped to do, but the best part about work is that it is always there when you come back...

My parents have DirecTV but no TiVo, so I am limited to wharever is on when I sit down. How 1999. Fortunately, I was able to introduce my father to Keeping Up Appearances on BBC America. That's a great show, and for my dad, it takes him back to his Benny Hill-watching days... though it's nothing like Benny Hill. I think he equates all British sitcoms alike.

This Sidekick is already paying connectivity dividends. I was able to chat with Fr. Bill while watching the Cubs blow the pennant and simultaneously talking to my mom about life at UP. Now if only I could convince Pam & Ken to get TiVo, then it'd be just like home again.

--composed on-the-go using my Sidekick

Blessed City, Here I Come!

I'm off to Seattle to enjoy the remainder of Fall Break. Campus has been quiet this past weekend. I haven't gotten squat done except assignment #2 for the M.A. program. My next discussion is Friday morning, which should be excellent - it's on a book I've read thrice (How To Read A Book), so I ought to know the material by now.

On Monday evening, Shino organized a progressive dinner in the Village. Fourteen residents and guests partook of the culinary offerings of our hosts. We moved through four different apartments in a two-hour tour that featured chips & artichoke and chili dips, gourmet salad, handmade enchiladas, and key lime pie. It was a very pleasant affair. Hopefully this will inspire future excellent programs of a similar ambition!

I discovered a great little time-waster for my computer desktop: Konfabulator, a software engine that runs little JavaScript widgets that perform all sorts of piddling tasks, like display the currently playing iTunes song in a gently appearing/disappearing window while the work goes on unhampered; show the five-day weather forecast with moon phase; display the lyrics to whatever song is playing on iTunes; provide a multi-engine search tool that floats atop my desktop; and many more. Konfabulator is delightful!

The "Shock and Awe Campaign" Revisited

Seattle - Lying in bed last night, I think I finally have an idea what it was like to live in Baghdad last March. The constant barrage of explosions was disquieting. We let Murph E. Dogg into the house because he was frightened, and he spent the night cowering near the couch. My brother's puppy, Nibbler, was also frightened, but she responded by barking at the fireworks. Frankly, I'm not convinced that I feel more free today thanks to the millions of dollars spent on fireworks last night.

I'm sad to hear that Barry White passed away yesterday. Though he never was honored as the "Pennzoil Featured Artist of the Week" on Wednesday Gigante, his style will always be in vogue. May the "Doctor of Love" rest in peace.

Today I'll be getting together with one of my Dominican brothers, Tom Irish, a.k.a. "El Diablo Blanco". He's a high-quality guy. Some of the phrases and ideas sure to be revisited: yachting, "check the aperture", "visit the Doctor", and much, much more. This is a nice little vacation, but I can't wait to get back to Portland to move!