The following is a list of things I miss about being a Pilgrim. Some are gone yet some remain and I'm looking forward to seeing the returning things again. In fact this is purely to psyche myself up about returning in general. If it does the same for other returning pilgrims, then you're welcome!
-Putting on stays a lacing them up as tight as they will go. And never feeling fully dressed without a coif.
-Racing the other Jess to see who got ready first. And the inevitable taunting that comes with that competition.
-The christmas-like surprise of going to your basket to find out what Kathleen has left you for Cooking Project!
-Pilgrim puns at morning meeting.
-Walking across the street with water buckets and secretly conjuring images of the opening song in Beauty and the Beast. Little town, it's a quiet village...every day....like the one before...little town full of little people...
-Bertie.
-My not too pope-ish choir
-Visiting the girls, and by girls I mean the cows.
-Visiting the puppy. And by puppy I mean Crisp.
-Da goats. Back when we had da goats.
-Giving an answer you give all the time to a visitor who's never heard it before and being complimented on your 'quick wit.'
-Telling a visitor something interesting that they didn't know before.
-Kids who like to pull weeds.
-Adorable babies.
-Men with ten hens.
-Discreet yet scandalous games of nine men's morris with unmarried men.
- Talking about Fells. No matter how many times you tell that story it never looses it's juice!
-The sound of Ian singing outside the walls while he walked Crisp, and how it used to float into the village creating the most perfect atmosphere.
-Jon's dangling legs as he would perch on the linen chest in Winslow working on some uninterpretable project or other.
-The Banter that is the Jessiccae.
-Finding excuses to interpret by the spring. Or on the green.
-Returning Ned Doty's drinking pot after it is inevitably abandoned in Fuller house.
-Lemon Balm.
-Johnny and Shelly.
-Reading aloud the Song of Solomon like we'd discovered some kind of erotic fiction under the Winslow's bed.
-Sitting back and watching awesome interpreters interpret awesomely, taking notes and stealing anecdotes.
-Coming up with reasons why my husband isn't home, why you can't look in the loft, where my children are, and getting people on their way to lunch.
-The sea.....the view from the top of the hill......and the walk back to the carriage house at the end of the day.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A Rant of Religious Proportions
Ok. So I don't go to church very often. I go when I'm in my parents house because they go. I go because I like to sing and have sung with the choir there since birth. I go to see old friends and to catch up with friends of the family. I am not a religious person. I am baptized, communed, and confirmed in the catholic faith but I have for a very long time considered myself unaffiliated. I am not an atheist, I am not agnostic, I am not anything. I don't have a club I belong to. I am not anti-religion, I like a lot of religions. I am friendly with some very religious people who aren't assholes at all. So although I don't label myself as a practicing catholic, I have been educated in the ways of Cathol. I paid plenty of attention in Sunday school. And I spend a lot of time talking about God stuff in my current line of work. I'm only saying this because I'm about to have a catholic rant and I want to be upfront and honest about my credentials.
Every once in a while, somebody dressed in white up in the altar area will say something that makes me uncomfortable. It's usually during the Homily or in closing announcements. Today it was the former. The parish director called everyone's attention to a potential commercial for superbowl sunday. She told us the basic gist of the piece and felt that as it was obviously tasteless and offensive to Catholics that everyone should write a negative review in the comments section of the website where it can be viewed.
Here's my problems with that:
1. It was meant to be funny. It might have been a bad joke, or a thoughtless one. But please, you don't need to ban it from tv. Just don't watch it, or don't laugh when you do watch it. It's really that simple. I don't like to have very much in common with people who can't laugh at themselves.
2. The solution the priests come up with to get more people to come to church....would work. Yes it's a tasteless and sacrilegious solution, but it would work. So if we're so keen on not laughing, why not make this an opportunity to look at what this commercial is trying to say socially about the state of organized religion in America. In the modern world for that matter. Don't burn the book, talk about why the book is offensive, there's probably a truth in there somewhere that needs talking about.
3. This issue should have been presented in an open dialogue situation where people could take in one side and then share their own views on the situation. You don't get to do that during closing announcements. The person in white talks, we listen, and then look around to decide how to react to whatever ridiculous thing just got said. That's not an appropriate venue. Get a blog.
4. If turning the other cheek when someone makes a lame joke about doritos at communion is the worst kind of persecution they have to endure, then catholics need a reality check. A serious one.
If you wanna have a look at it yourself, please do. It's dumb, but it's not horrible. And it certainly doesn't deserve to be the whipping boy in a debate about religion. As Cutty Ranks once said: LEAVE IT ALONE!
http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery?video=5384
Every once in a while, somebody dressed in white up in the altar area will say something that makes me uncomfortable. It's usually during the Homily or in closing announcements. Today it was the former. The parish director called everyone's attention to a potential commercial for superbowl sunday. She told us the basic gist of the piece and felt that as it was obviously tasteless and offensive to Catholics that everyone should write a negative review in the comments section of the website where it can be viewed.
Here's my problems with that:
1. It was meant to be funny. It might have been a bad joke, or a thoughtless one. But please, you don't need to ban it from tv. Just don't watch it, or don't laugh when you do watch it. It's really that simple. I don't like to have very much in common with people who can't laugh at themselves.
2. The solution the priests come up with to get more people to come to church....would work. Yes it's a tasteless and sacrilegious solution, but it would work. So if we're so keen on not laughing, why not make this an opportunity to look at what this commercial is trying to say socially about the state of organized religion in America. In the modern world for that matter. Don't burn the book, talk about why the book is offensive, there's probably a truth in there somewhere that needs talking about.
3. This issue should have been presented in an open dialogue situation where people could take in one side and then share their own views on the situation. You don't get to do that during closing announcements. The person in white talks, we listen, and then look around to decide how to react to whatever ridiculous thing just got said. That's not an appropriate venue. Get a blog.
4. If turning the other cheek when someone makes a lame joke about doritos at communion is the worst kind of persecution they have to endure, then catholics need a reality check. A serious one.
If you wanna have a look at it yourself, please do. It's dumb, but it's not horrible. And it certainly doesn't deserve to be the whipping boy in a debate about religion. As Cutty Ranks once said: LEAVE IT ALONE!
http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery?video=5384
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Triumphant Return of Things that are True!
The following is list of things that are true. God I've missed writing that!
1. There's a man in a car driving a considerable amount of miles to get to my house to see me tonight. I wonder if he likes me or something.
2. I am afraid to discover what it is I have done to deserve such good fortune regarding item one. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. He's probably just here for the free lasagna.
3. I really like grapes at the moment.
4. I am currently the fattest I have ever been, and worried that although I have noticed this, I don't feel all that ugly. The ass can stay, the boobs can stay, I only take issue with my arms...and maybe my face....that can go...how do I get rid of my arms and face?
5. I wish there were better holidays after christmas. I wish Halloween was after Christmas instead of before it. I wish Valentine's Day was more interesting, or St. Patrick's for that matter. Winter is depressing, I need more exciting things happening in Wintertime. Especially the slush months.
6. I am both looking forward to and am terrified of people reading my journal again. I missed writing for my readers so I started it up again. But facebook is my new pimp, I dunno if I like him yet.
7. I am watching 30 rock. I'm not watching 30 rock because of peer pressure.
8.I sliced my thumb whilst shaving and it left this kinda cool miniature cat scratch across my thumb and it feel weird when I type with it.
9. I'm in a band called Long Stride Lizzy. And it's shameless plug day here on sesame street.
10. http://www.myspace.com/longstridelizzy
1. There's a man in a car driving a considerable amount of miles to get to my house to see me tonight. I wonder if he likes me or something.
2. I am afraid to discover what it is I have done to deserve such good fortune regarding item one. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. He's probably just here for the free lasagna.
3. I really like grapes at the moment.
4. I am currently the fattest I have ever been, and worried that although I have noticed this, I don't feel all that ugly. The ass can stay, the boobs can stay, I only take issue with my arms...and maybe my face....that can go...how do I get rid of my arms and face?
5. I wish there were better holidays after christmas. I wish Halloween was after Christmas instead of before it. I wish Valentine's Day was more interesting, or St. Patrick's for that matter. Winter is depressing, I need more exciting things happening in Wintertime. Especially the slush months.
6. I am both looking forward to and am terrified of people reading my journal again. I missed writing for my readers so I started it up again. But facebook is my new pimp, I dunno if I like him yet.
7. I am watching 30 rock. I'm not watching 30 rock because of peer pressure.
8.I sliced my thumb whilst shaving and it left this kinda cool miniature cat scratch across my thumb and it feel weird when I type with it.
9. I'm in a band called Long Stride Lizzy. And it's shameless plug day here on sesame street.
10. http://www.myspace.com/longstridelizzy
Sunday, January 2, 2011
What's the first rule of looking cool after being defriended, you do not talk about being defriended. The second rule? YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT BEING DEFRIENDED!
gosh ya know what makes me nuts? Lots of things. But you know what pissed me off three minutes ago?
I noticed just recently that I was missing the delightfully curmudgeony updates from an old co-worker. Yes, that's right folkes. I have been de-friended.
gasp!
I've ranted about this before. Here's why it pisses me off:
When you notice something like this, especially where there doesn't seem to be a particular reason for it, or the reasons you do come up with are stupid childish reasons, your first instinct is to respond in the manner which you have been dealt with. Also known as the 3rd grade school yard approach. You know, elementary school, where we learned about George Washington and how to be passive aggressive and materialistic.
Here's what facebook has done, kids. Facebook has effectively given everyone their own club. With which they can be as inclusive or exclusive as they were in third grade. You can excommunicate people from your club anydamntime you like, for any reason imaginable. It's you're right as a citizen of a country that has the interwebs.
It happens to everyone now and then. But when it happens to you, it seems to suck more than when it happens to other people, or when it happens to the people you do it to. When it does happen to you, all you really want to do is return the discourtesy. But you can't.
The only reason you get pissed is because you're fucked off you didn't think of it first. Even if you're not sure what you did to deserve it. At least in grade school when your friend yells "You're not my friend anymore!" you can yell back "Yeah, well you're not my friend anymore either." There is no such equivalent in the game of facebook. They don't see your rant, the people who defriend you never get to see how pissed off you are. You are not given the courtesy of a comeback. Isn't that a kick in the nuts?
And the damage of this clever little weapon has LAYERS! Once the recess rampage wears off, you realize exactly how little any of it matters, and how stupid all of it is. All this ranting and hurt feelings have no place in reality. It's lame to rant about facebook slights in public. The fact that you even took notice, well it makes you sound like a loser with no life. And the kicker in this particular case is, this particular specimen is old enough to be my dad. Old enough to know better, and does know better having felt the burn of being defriended before, I know because he ranted about it back when I was a member of his cool kid club. However, knowing that he knows how it feels means I can't explain it away by saying he's oblivious, he knows exactly what it feels like so the move must be deliberate and the effect desired. Which means I must have done something truly horrible to offend him or betray his trust. Probably. I am a horrible evil person with plans to take over the world and crush any insect you dares to step in my way. Or maybe he just finally realized how unworthy I actually am of being in his cool person's club.
Oh...and now I'm entering the phase where I realize how pointless all of it is. Yup....now I'm angry because I let something as stupid and petty as a defriending get to me enough to make it a topic of my brand new shiny blog. Which is how the terrorists win. That's how they win, dammit!
Final thoughts on the subject are as follows: I might have been deprived of the opportunity for a cool witty comeback, but let's face facts, I wouldn't have used it. I'm as passive aggressive as they get. I just wanted the formality for politeness' sake. I am nothing if not civilized. Also, about the worst thing you can do is turn around and defriend someone else. Most bullies are bullied themselves by bigger bullies. You can't be mean to someone else because someone was mean to you. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't feel good after. So if I was deprived of an opportunity to be mean to someone who doesn't deserve it, then perhaps that's for the best. What I wasn't deprived of however, was a good long blogified rant, in which I can let it all out. And now I'm going to post in on facebook so all of the people I haven't defriended can read it. Oh my precious facebook clubmembers. I hope that by reading this they know I don't hate any of them enough to excommunicate them.
I noticed just recently that I was missing the delightfully curmudgeony updates from an old co-worker. Yes, that's right folkes. I have been de-friended.
gasp!
I've ranted about this before. Here's why it pisses me off:
When you notice something like this, especially where there doesn't seem to be a particular reason for it, or the reasons you do come up with are stupid childish reasons, your first instinct is to respond in the manner which you have been dealt with. Also known as the 3rd grade school yard approach. You know, elementary school, where we learned about George Washington and how to be passive aggressive and materialistic.
Here's what facebook has done, kids. Facebook has effectively given everyone their own club. With which they can be as inclusive or exclusive as they were in third grade. You can excommunicate people from your club anydamntime you like, for any reason imaginable. It's you're right as a citizen of a country that has the interwebs.
It happens to everyone now and then. But when it happens to you, it seems to suck more than when it happens to other people, or when it happens to the people you do it to. When it does happen to you, all you really want to do is return the discourtesy. But you can't.
The only reason you get pissed is because you're fucked off you didn't think of it first. Even if you're not sure what you did to deserve it. At least in grade school when your friend yells "You're not my friend anymore!" you can yell back "Yeah, well you're not my friend anymore either." There is no such equivalent in the game of facebook. They don't see your rant, the people who defriend you never get to see how pissed off you are. You are not given the courtesy of a comeback. Isn't that a kick in the nuts?
And the damage of this clever little weapon has LAYERS! Once the recess rampage wears off, you realize exactly how little any of it matters, and how stupid all of it is. All this ranting and hurt feelings have no place in reality. It's lame to rant about facebook slights in public. The fact that you even took notice, well it makes you sound like a loser with no life. And the kicker in this particular case is, this particular specimen is old enough to be my dad. Old enough to know better, and does know better having felt the burn of being defriended before, I know because he ranted about it back when I was a member of his cool kid club. However, knowing that he knows how it feels means I can't explain it away by saying he's oblivious, he knows exactly what it feels like so the move must be deliberate and the effect desired. Which means I must have done something truly horrible to offend him or betray his trust. Probably. I am a horrible evil person with plans to take over the world and crush any insect you dares to step in my way. Or maybe he just finally realized how unworthy I actually am of being in his cool person's club.
Oh...and now I'm entering the phase where I realize how pointless all of it is. Yup....now I'm angry because I let something as stupid and petty as a defriending get to me enough to make it a topic of my brand new shiny blog. Which is how the terrorists win. That's how they win, dammit!
Final thoughts on the subject are as follows: I might have been deprived of the opportunity for a cool witty comeback, but let's face facts, I wouldn't have used it. I'm as passive aggressive as they get. I just wanted the formality for politeness' sake. I am nothing if not civilized. Also, about the worst thing you can do is turn around and defriend someone else. Most bullies are bullied themselves by bigger bullies. You can't be mean to someone else because someone was mean to you. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't feel good after. So if I was deprived of an opportunity to be mean to someone who doesn't deserve it, then perhaps that's for the best. What I wasn't deprived of however, was a good long blogified rant, in which I can let it all out. And now I'm going to post in on facebook so all of the people I haven't defriended can read it. Oh my precious facebook clubmembers. I hope that by reading this they know I don't hate any of them enough to excommunicate them.
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