From The Wondermark Goodsery

That sums up our relationship with the devil quite nicely.

It looks like he has decided to not name himself for his new blog. Let me just say that he is always a joy to read, and somebody whom I try to emulate when I write. I think his blog is what I'd like Caritate Dei to become in the future. Less topical, and more of a personal journal.

Add it to your favorites, it's going to be good.

Wow, I got a job with benefits! I'm going to do my best to keep it too! Pray for my success!

Rainier cherries, if you don't know, are sweeter than bing cherries. They also have beautiful coloring of red and yellow. You can find this recipe on Erik's blog, but I'm going to post it here too.:

First, you will need to pit a bunch of cherries. It is tedious, and there are gadgets that make it go better, or you can use household indentured servants (children) to do the task, provided they are old enough to use a knife properly.

Rub a pork loin with salt and pepper.

Then, brown your pork loin in butter. Transfer to a plate.

Add a finely chopped onion, a couple of peeled cloves of garlic, and fry gently in the fat.

Add the cherries and a pinch of carraway seeds and fry for a minute.

Return the pork to the pan, add a splash of white dry vermouth, cover and cook over low heat until the pork is done to your liking.

Let the pork rest 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, reduce the cooking liquid, remove the garlic, finish with port and softened butter.

Slice the pork, and cover with the sauce. If you want to be fancy, you can puree and strain the sauce before the butter enrichment, but I like the chunks of fruit and cooked onion in mine.

Serve with good bread, a good pinot noir, and a green salad.

So far, the book is a good read. Any time I read about one of my favorite saints or inspiring persons, I am convinced that I would either be great friends with them, or they would drive me absolutely insane. With G.K., I feel the former. I finally found a man who understands what I'm thinking. Things which should be so blindingly obvious to everybody never occurs to anybody. I think, that as loving and joyful as Chesterton appears to have been, he would have been a lonely person had he not the joy of Christ in him.

The joy of Christ draws many, but the challenge that Christ gives us frightens even His followers. People are drawn to how their particular church makes them feel about themselves, which is not what religion is about. Religion is supposed challenge us to something higher than ourselves. How could anybody hope to succeed at anything when they are constantly told that they are fine just the way they are? Jesus is not some sort of vending machine that gives out salvation because you said some prayer in the back of a chick tract a few years back.

Anyway, back to Chesterton. Dale Ahlquist asks at the beginning of the book how the world could forget such a man. I think, the answer can be found in Chesterton's book on St. Thomas Aquinas.

Therefore it is the paradox of history that each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most.

While Chesterton drew crowds, I think he may have been forgotten because he wasn't needed as much as he is now. Back then, people must have marveled at his wit and wisdom, not being able to fully comprehend the gift they had while he was still walking this earth. This is the age in which Chesterton is needed, when his words seem so prophetic. Clarity in a world that is constantly trying to distract us with fads of all sorts. Fad news, fad clothing, fad media which serve only to distract us from our own loneliness. We are afraid of silence because it causes us to look inward and face what might be wrong. We are similarly busy trying to replace our friends with gadgets because good friends seek to make us better people. God forbid that we be told that we're not good enough just the way we are.

These are off the cuff thoughts, and I'm certain that I'll have to clarify later. This is just as well, I need an excuse to write here. As always, the two of you who do read this blog are free to comment.

You can find a map of the campus here. It is in pdf form.

How does the world see you?
Twista feat. Kanye West - Overnight Celebrity

Will I have a happy life?
Stevie Wonder - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing

What do my friends really think of me?
Stephen Lynch - B*tch

What do people secretly think of me?
Moody Blues - The Story in Your Eyes

How can I make myself happy?
Dion & The Belmonts - The Wanderer

What should I do with my life?
Jamie Cullum - All At Sea

Will I ever have children?
Avenue Q - Schadenfreude

What is some good advice for me?
Grass Roots - Sooner or Later

How will I be remembered?
Crispin - I Delight in the Lord

What is my signature dancing song?
Brand New Heavies - Highest High

What do I think my current theme song is?
Trace Adkins - Songs About Me

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
GRITS - They All Fall Down

What song will play at my funeral?
Avenue Q - Everyone's A Little Bit Racist

What type of men/women do you like?
Dion & The Belmonts - Runaround Sue (*sigh*)

What is my day going to be like?
Jamie Cullum - I Get A Kick Out of You

Question: Why does the Church give us readings about baptism, when we don't usually give baptisms during Lent?

Shows short descriptions of a priest's vestments at Mass. There are certainly ways it could be more complete, but at least it only allows you to put the vestments on in the correct order.

ht: Manolo's Shoe Blog