Carmel got her visa!! Now that is awesome news! We can finally start planning our wedding and life together. Praise God!
Also, Warren Zevon does a great version of the song "Back in the High Life Again." Who’d have guessed?
Finally, Happy Solemnity of All Saints to my readers!
Or more properly, Happy All Hallows Eve! Beware, the aging (it’s hair coloring), demented, doctor. Anyone need any unnecessary surgery? Oh, by the way, it’s all in good fun, I assure you (just in case anyone was in danger of taking me seriously):
Today, I had the incredible opportunity for a semi-private audience with Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. He gave a great speech on the sanctity of life and fielded questions. He is incredibly articulate and a fine promoter of Catholic orthodoxy.
Yep, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. The first single "Blind as a Bat" is good. I’ve always had a soft spot for Meat Loaf and his overly sentimental teenage rock ballads that he somehow always sings with a straight face.
Let’s see…We get a new album and it’s "Bat" Part III (released on Halloween no less).
Anyone else stoked?
Today we had one of those rare moments with heavy snowfall in the middle of the peak colors of autumn. Sadly, the property I live on doesn’t have the most colorful trees, but you can get the point. I think the contrast between the colors of fall and the white snow is beautiful. But…4 inches of snow in October?? Goodness! (Note: the photo looks odd because the snow blends in with the white background of my blog. Click photo to enlarge and see it properly.)
Yes, it snowed on October 14th. It wasn’t much, but I was there to get the picture. It looks kind of Christmasy with the berries and all.
Click to see fullsize
This week, once again, I had the pleasure of taking students to Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. Like I mentioned on my blog post last year (see September 2005 in the archives), I was incredibly struck by how "Catholic" this place truly is. Sure, it may not always live up to the ideal of Catholic identity, but I can’t think of any school, or place really, that tries so hard.
I visited several places that I especially wanted to single out. First, there is the Grotto, which is a replica of the one at Lourdes, France. It also includes a rock from Lourdes. This is especially beautiful at night and I enjoyed going there a lot. Second, I had a chance to visit Moreau seminary (for the Priests of Holy Cross) and talk to some really gifted seminarians. Interestingly, they mentioned they are trying to bring back the habit! Cool. They also brought out a section of Holy Cross founder Ven. Basil Moreau’s finger bone to look at (he will be beatified next summer). Finally, there is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart which is stunningly beautiful and has an incredible relics collection. Also, there are little spots around campus, like statues and monuments, that show great Catholic influence.
Last year, visiting Notre Dame made me want to go back to school for the PhD. This year, the sentiment was entirely different (for one, I’m not so sure I want to get back into an academic religion department for my sanity). I simply felt proud and grateful to be Catholic and to have the opportunity to experience this place, especially the Catholic heritage and identity of which I am now a part.
I’ve been listening to a few Taizé songs lately and am quite impressed. They are simple, scriptural and traditional, often in Latin, and beautiful. For a few samples, visit their MP3 and Audio Page.
A very good friend got married this weekend and I went to the wedding. I’m not usually much of a "wedding person," but this was a huge exception! Perhaps it was because she’s such a good friend, but also the wedding itself was so classy from the setting to the service to the dinner afterwards. It is hard to think of her with her new last name, though. But, I’ll have to get used to it, I guess.
I also took this opportunity to go home and see the family, which was really nice. I live about 3 or so hours away from them so only visit about once a month. This is the first time since Labor Day and the next time will be Thanksgiving. I didn’t have time to do much except play trivia, eat at one of my favorite local restaurants, and get a Dairy Queen pumpkin pie blizzard. I consider that a good weekend!
…And David has a great article at Per Christum called Let the Halloween Wars Commence. It has some good links in it too. Check it out! Below is a photo I took of some Halloween lights at my house (yes Halloween lights). Spooky!
