Pirates!

Sent to boss, G and Izzy:

Almost missed that today is National "Talk like a Pirate Day." Herrrre's a website ferr ye to be looookin' at, me hearties. (site may be a bit slow--everyone is getting "on board" with this today...)

Home Churching and New "W" Joke

From the Onion (via G)
Report: More Kids Being Home-Churched: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40517

It is way beyond funny...Love the reference to the Zaccheus song!

Also, and this could have been a question in the Judge Roberts hearings:

Q: What is President Bush's opinion on Roe vs. Wade?

A: He doesn't care HOW people get out of New Orleans.

Dietary Notes

(Note sent by Izzy to a friend offering to cook for us. Adapted.)

You asked about Lizzie's dietary restrictions. Here is a little note Lizzie once put together about her non-Levitical Dietary Restrictions. It is, I hope you'll note, modeled on a piece by Ian Frazier that once ran in _Atlantic Monthly_ and became somewhat infamous. You used to be able to get the original here (and even listen to the author read it.) Now you have to be a paying subscriber. Finks. I think I still have e-copy of the thing on my hard drive if you're interested.

(Found a posted version.)

Anyway, here is Lizzie's solipsistic version, dated 20 June 2001:

~~~Begin Quote~~~

"Comments" concerning food and drink:

Of the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air, and the beasts of the field, of those clean and unclean, I may not eat.

Of the milk of the cattle and the sheep and the goat, whilst in the form fore-ordained by the Creator for the young of each species, I may not drink.

Of the milk hardened into cakes for only a moment's time, and of the especially smelly young milk-cakes I may not eat.

Of the lumpy cheesy concoctions, high in fat and masquerading as food for penitents and mendicants, I may not eat.

Yet, of the skim and one percent milk, or the regular milk BAKED into dishes, I may eat. And of the low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese or yogurt, I may eat, but not too much. I may eat of the low-fat or non-fat ice cream, although these are vile and loathsome in [my husband's] sight.

And of the hard and aged cheeses, yea even those sharp, pungent and gratable cheeses, I may eat, especially when cooked onto a pizza.

Of the radishes and bell peppers and cucumbers, and other offerings of Cain which cause the belching in one's innermost being, I may not eat.

Of the lettuce, Bibbed or iceberg, and of similar textureless and tasteless fillers, I may eat only a small portion, lest I return the abomination that is iceberg lettuce to the depths of the earth.

Yet of the spinach, cooked or raw, or nicely seasoned with lemon and olive oil, I may eat and give hearty thanks.

And although I may not partake of the raw cucumber or the barely pickled deli-cukes, I may enjoy the produce of the cucumber vine when fully briny or fully sweet (I may even "relish" the dish.)

Of the cooked vegetables I may eat, although it is of a truth that it is said that squash is an offense in my sight. I will endure it as Job endured boils, though, when it is the only non-meat item on a menu and is served as part of a "vegetable melody."

What more shall I say? Shall I sing the praises of grilled eggplant or of the asparagus quesadilla? Shall I tell of chutneys and of spinach enchiladas and "Not Dogs" and of broccoli fried rice? Of tomatoes, cooked into garlicky sauces and served over pasta, or sliced and served with basil and mozzarella, or cooked into creamy soups, or even sliced fresh and red-ripe and served with salt and pepper? There is not time to tell the worth of lemon meringue pies or crescent roll pandowdy or ice milk or Diet Dr. Pepper or iced tea, yet I glory in these even as they remain constantly with my hips, withersoever I shall go.

Should I prepare meals, I may, like Peter with Cornelius, set aside these laws to prepare sustenance; although, like Moses on Mt. Nebo, I may not partake of that which is reserved for others.

(Apologies to Ian Frazier)

Solo, a capella

So, Doc calls this AM around 8:10 and will not be able to sing (I had the phone on silent and missed his first 2 attempts earlier.) We’d spent lots of time practicing the music and I felt like I could do it, so I led music a capella for 9 AM Mass.

Based on what I'd seen from Katrina all week, I'm glad I'd had time to ruminate on Psalm 42: "As the Deer Longs..." I though that the "over my head, all Your mighty waters, sweeping over me" and "where is God?" parts would be especially relevant after all of the images on TV this week. Based on what we'd practiced, I did Refrain (x2), Verse 1, Refrain, Verses 2 & 3, Refrain, Verses 4&5, Refrain. It put the despair verses and the hope verses together.

Ref: As the deer longs for running streams
So I long, so I long
So I long for you

(1) Athirst my soul for you the God who is my life
When shall I see, when shall I see
See the face of God?

Ref: As the deer longs for running streams…

(2) Echoes meet as deep is calling unto deep
Over my head, all your mighty waters
Sweeping over me

(3) Continually, the foes delights in taunting me
Where is God? Where is your God?
(sotto voce) Where, oh where, are You?

(4)Defend me God, send forth your light and your truth
They will lead me to your holy mountain
To your dwelling place

(5)Then I shall go unto the altar of my God
Praising you, O my joy and gladness
I shall praise your name

Ref: As the deer longs for running streams…

Music & setting © 1988, Bob Hurd. Published by OCP Publications. All rights reserved.

Offertory: Hosea. It fit in well with the just completed homily on forgiveness and 2nd chances.

Hoping not to have to do solo a capella again-- good to know I can, though, if I have to.

Will New Orleans Recover?

Response to BMPC discussion about New Orleans, where folks had referred to the Canal Street Presbyterian Church. Names changed for blogpost.

Another note related to Canal Street Presbyterian Church:

Last Christmas, Izzy and I had the privilege of worshiping there. We were with former Blacknallites JB & MKB, and members of their families (a very few of you may remember JE & K LP and their children Timbob & Idabeck (our goddaughter)), along with former members of the Bible Church we were part of Mesquite, Texas.

What brought all of us together was the ordination of a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC). So there we were, Catholics, CEC folks, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, Assemblies of God (even ORU alums), Baptists, plus others, worshiping in this wonderful church that has such close historic ties to Blacknall. It was so very much like a homecoming for us.

For those with long memories, JB & MKB and their 3 children now live in Shreveport, LA. They are currently hosting 4 LP’s and 2 dogs and they await the soon arrival of 2 more LP’s (grandparents Granpaul and K) flying in from Virginia where they were vacationing when Katrina hit.

In a snapshot of what is happening with so many families, there are uncertainties about:

• Work: JE is a professor at a university in NoLA--when will/can it re-open? When will they be paid for time already worked? Should he look for another job? JE& MK’s father, Granpaul, is a title attorney--when will real estate transactions in NO resume?
• Resources: 11 people and several dogs to feed on one salary. Lack of on-line access to checking accounts for an NO based bank. Living for a while with 3 changes of clothes per person.
• Education: Enrollment in school? Continued home schooling without all of the resources needed?
• Emotional Stress: Timbob (age 10) has autism and is, as would be expected, having a tough time being away from familiar things and places. Although the LP house in Uptown escaped most of the flooding, what will be left from rampant looting in that area?
  
  These are intelligent folks with excellent educations, who were well prepared for the storm. In hearing from K about how much their lives are upended, I feel even more strongly for those who had less to begin with...
  

Eerily Correct Prediction

Sent to a couple of lists:

By now, you may have heard about the October 2004 National Geographic Article on Louisiana wetlands that contains a fairly accurate description of what has just happened in New Orleans.

P. & M. will be especially interested in the bio/eco/hydro aspects of how decisions made upstream affect the downstream populations.

For the rest of us, it's just a bizarre read that might spark some discussion about stewardship of resources, natural tendencies that people have to discount risks to themselves, etc.

A few sample sentences:

Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst
natural disaster in the history of the United States.

Above is one of the best photos I've seen regarding the scale of the clean-up involved.

Disaster Relief

List serve response to questions about getting “invited” to go help with Katrina Relief:

My slightly edited responses to questions asked below:

I think I can answer the question raised about "an invitation."

As part of our SC's disaster plan, we are part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC, for those of us in government.) Through EMAC, states send out requests to other states for various tasks that they need help with, and for various skill sets that will help them in their recovery. DHEC has received EMAC requests to assist in a number of ways, including hydrogeology ("what's up wit' the water, dude?"), epidemiology and medical care of displaced persons.

Recovery Teams are being assembled and logistics are being planned. As you can see from news coverage, teams in many areas will have to be self-sustaining. This means bringing our own food, water, gas, bedding, toilet facilities(?), etc., PLUS all the supplies needed to DO what we are asked to do. Areas also have to be safe enough to enter (not just lawful, but also no longer under imminent threat of rising water, etc.)

P. and I (any others out there?) have let our supervisors know that we are willing to serve. As our particular skill sets are needed, we may be asked to join an EMAC team headed for the gulf coast. There will likely be a number of teams heading out soon and over the next 4-6 months.

Take-home Point: One of the essentials in disaster recovery is ORGANIZATION: from delivery of supplies to deployment and receiving of support personnel. Kind-hearted people who suddenly appear at a site have good intentions, but may not be self-sustaining, and may end up needing rescuing themselves. This is, sadly, one of the reasons it has taken National Guard and Air Force groups 3-4 days to get to NOLA. They had to be able to get there, land planes with supplies and set up field
operations.

Incidentally, I am more likely to end up in Alabama, Northern Mississippi, or Texas; P. is more likely to end up in southern Mississippi or Louisiana.

G wrote:

P--thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

What exactly are you waiting for an invitation to do? With which group? When will you know? Do fill us in. And of course, rest assured of my prayers, our prayers. Your commitment to serving those in need is most inspiring!

Paula had written:

Hi friends,

In striking Michelle-esque style, I've tossed my name in the hat to help with relief efforts in MS and LA... well, less "tossed" than "placed deliberately."

I lay awake in bed last night after watching the news - it was the first time I've had the tv on in weeks (HP and all) - thinking of ways I could get to LA to hand one thirsty person a bottle of water, and I woke up this morning to the news that SAR workers had been called off their duties to fight rampant looting.

This morning I read my e-mails at work in tears. The last one was a request for volunteers to join the relief effort in kind. Hopefully in the next couple months I'll be devising clean-up schemes to get sewage out of people's homes and get underground storage tank leaks under control. I have to admit, I feel more qualified to fetch coffee or help build a make-shift shelter than be a geologist in that place, but I think I just have to go, whatever the task. I know I'm lucky to be in a position where I can leave town for a couple weeks and shake dirty hands with the people in the front lines - and I may never have the opportunity again.

So the real reason I'm telling you this is to ask for your prayers for the people making decisions about forming our teams, for my own strength while I wait for an invitation, and of course for those who need the Body of Christ most right now.

Amazing (and yet true) Obituary

Learned about this one from M.E. at the YACS! gathering.

Dorothy Gibson Cully obituary

On June 3, 2005 at 10:45 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee, Dorothy Gibson Cully, 86, died peacefully, while in the loving care of her two favorite children, Barbara and David. All of her breath leaked out. The mother of four children, grandmother to 11, great-grandmother to nine, devoted wife for 56 years to the late Ralph Chester Cully and a true friend to many, Dot had been active as a volunteer in the Catholic Church and other community charities for much of the past 25 years. She was born the second child of six in 1919 as Frances Dorothy Gibson, daughter to Kathleen Heard Gibson and Calvin Hooper Gibson, an inventor best known as the first person since the Middle Ages to calculate the arcane lead-to-gold formula. Unable to actually prove this complex theory scientifically, and frustrated by the cruel conspiracy of the so-called "scientific community" working against his efforts, he ultimately stuck his head in a heated gas oven with a golden delicious apple propped in his mouth. Miraculously, the apple was saved for the evening dessert. Calvin was not.

Native Marylanders and long time Baltimore, Kent Island and Ocean City residents, Ralph and Dot later resided in Lakeland, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Several years after Ralph's death, Dot moved to Raleigh in 2001, where she lived with her son, David.

At the time of her death, Dot was visiting her daughter, Carol in Memphis. Carol and her husband, Ron, away from home attending a "very important conference" at a posh Florida resort, rushed home 10 days later after learning of the death. Dot's other children, dutifully at their mother's side helping with the normal last minute arrangements - hospice notification, funeral parlor notice, revising the last will, etc. - happily picked up the considerable slack of the absent former heiress.

Dot is warmly remembered as a generous, spiritually strong, resourceful, tolerant and smart woman, who was always ready to help and never judged others or their shortcomings. Dot always found time to knit sweaters, sew quilts and send written notes to the family children, all while working a full time job, volunteering as Girl Scout leader and donating considerable time to local charities and the neighborhood Catholic Church.

Dot graduated from Eastern High School at 15, worked in Baltimore full time from 1934 to 1979, beginning as a factory worker at Cross & Blackwell and retiring after 30 years as property manager and controller for a Baltimore conglomerate, Housing Engineering Company, all while raising four children, two of who are fairly normal.

An Irishwoman proud of and curious about her heritage, she was a voracious reader of historical novels, particularly those about the glories and trials of Ireland. Dot also loved to travel, her favorite destination being Eire's auld sod, where she dreamed of the magic, mystery and legend of the Emerald Isle.

Dot Cully is survived by her sisters, Ginny Torrico in Virginia, Marian Lee in Florida and Eileen Adams in Baltimore; her brother, Russell Gibson of Fallston, Maryland; her children, Barbara Frost of Ocean City, Maryland, Carol Meroney of Memphis, Tennessee, David Cully of Raleigh, North Carolina and Stephen Cully of Baltimore, Maryland. Contributions to the Wake County (NC) Hospice Services are welcomed. Opinions about the details of this obit are not, since Mom would have liked it this way.

Although the "obit" now appears in a column (leading one to assume that it is a parody), turns out it's there only so it didn't disappear from the N&O's website, as do most obits after 2 weeks.

For more on the decisions (and lack thereof) that went into the publishing of this obit (originally published on 7/2/05), see Ted Vaden's column here.

Another Project Completed

Working here and "out-sourcing" a bit to India, finished the ministries guide for our Parish.

http://www.stthomasmoreusc.org/files/stmguide2005.pdf

Now to see if anyone reads them...

Green Card -- Alleluia! (+ Te Deum)

Heard from G:

Dear friends and family:

I am now a lawful permanent resident of the United States. The interview this morning was smooth and uneventful (after waiting at the Embassy for a little over 4 hours). The only questions asked were, "What do you do" and "How long have you been in the US? You sound like an American!" :) My passport will be sent by courier to Bombay in a couple of days with an Immigrant Visa stamped inside. I just got back from the Embassy, after a brief stop to light some candles at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart where, unexpectedly, the Eucharist was exposed for the adoration of the faithful. If you can, join me in praying a Te Deum today!

I thank y'all for your prayers and support throughout this long journey, which made the waiting and the frustrations and ups and downs of the process less burdensome. On the 25th I'm flying back to the US. Back home.

Peace,

G

PS: To quote a certain Latin teacher some of us know: "Gaudeamus igitur! Nunc est bibendum!" "Let us rejoice therefore. Now, to drink!" :-D

My response:

Amen. Halleluia. Yippee!

Or as [Baldman] said at YACS! on Monday: "We love him [you] to death but we can't wait to get rid of him." (Or words to that effect.) I think we all figure it'll be good to have priest/bishop/cardinal on our side someday....8-)

Thanks for the link to the Te Deum page. We sang a version in All State choir when I was a younger thing, and I used the text to remind myself of the words to pray them in the musical setting. It was also neat to see ALL of the verses of Holy God we praise Thy name. I had learned somethere that it was based on the Te Deum, but had not seen verses with Doomsday, white ro-bed martyrs and "Lo, I put my trust in Three, Never, Lord, abandon me." Neat interlude in my day. Thanks again.

One hopes you used "y'all" or "sho nuff" when Embassy staffers commented that you sounded American.

In final news that you might not be aware of since you've been away, "P-Diddy" is no more. He announced yesterday that this was now "the era of 'Diddy'." Wouldn't want you to sound out-of-date upon your return.

[Lizzie],
au currant.

Time to Worry?

The hospital just called. They finally got my old mammogram films from NC, and on comparison want me to come back in for more films and a sonogram. I'll see them at 1:50 tomorrow. Chances are it's nothing, or as the lady of the phone was quick to say, "it's probably just a cyst, but we have to prove it's just a cyst."

So, how do I keep my head functional for the next 24 hours or so?

Camp Kemo Pix

There's a few of Izzy on the bike tucked into the Flash slide shows here:

http://www.palmettohealth.org/facilities/cancer/campkemo/

A great shot of a Kemo camper is here.

Papal Infallibility

Got a request to look at Papal Infallibility on the Young Adult Group. My response:

Great idea. Until we get a chance to discuss it as a group, you can look at some websites with good info on what the church teaches on Papal Infallibility. I picked some ones known to be reliable,(i.e., they present what the church actually teaches, not what random folks THINK she teaches...)

From EWTN: http://www.ewtn.org/faith/teachings/papac2.htm

From Catholic Answers: http://www.catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp

From Catholic.net: http://www.catholic.net/RCC/Issues/Papal-Infallibility/papal-infallibility.html

From the Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07790a.htm

Report on Return from NOLA

Since we planned the trip, Cindy AND Dennis appeared. Note sent to friend upon our return:

We went to a Saturday Mass in New Orleans, and left early Sunday (7/10) to try and stay ahead of the outer wind bands from Dennis. We hit rain before we got out of Louisiana (headed north, not back across the gulf like we usually go) and drove in the rain all the way to North Augusta. The worst wind and rain were outer Birmingham to east of Atlanta--the car was streaked with evidence of wind-driven dirty water that hit at high speeds. I'm not sure I want to drive across the top of a hurricane again.

The trip itself was wonderful, if too short. We spent lots of time watching the all-panic, all-the-time channels as the Mayor and Parish Councils (sounds odd to say that) discussed whether or not to evacuate. In the end, we left and those that stayed had great weather.

When the talk wasn't of hurricanes, we talked about books & faith & the future; we sang sand read; we strolled to restaurants and bookstores; we played in the pool with the kids who, as most children do, found Uncle Izzy to be a great climbing toy. His cannonball dives are also pretty impressive!

Cannot wait to get to go back. For once, we actually went to NOLA and didn't even bother with the Quarter. We've become the "untourists."

Heading to NOLA

We'll be headed out of town to New Orleans next Thursday, for a soiree'/shindig/fait dodo celebrating a friend's successful defense (just this week) of his PhD dissertation. This friend & his wife are the parents of our goddaughter, so we're really excited for the chance to see them and celebrate. We'll return late Sunday evening.

This is, of course, all contingent on storms arising and/or dissipating...