New Post

Hello All. I am posting this new entry from a computer at the Corgan Library.
Still trying to find out why my personal computer at home is posting things in Russian.
RHV sounded great this morning!

Grade: F-

An independent report came out yesterday on how the State responded to the St. Valentines day snowstorm. It didn't tell me anything that I already thought to be suspect. The state failed miserably, and the excuses "abundantly overflowed." It's like a lackadaisical high school kid receiving an "F" grade in Algebra class while asking the professor, after the fact, "where he/she went wrong." "New procedures will be in place for future storms, they say?" Do I smell bureaucratic nonsense (cow dung) here? Duhh!?

ISS Sighting

Just saw the International Space Station fly overhead our house. It looked like a bright star traveling across the heavens. No words can be used to describe this historical moment that just took place; viewed thousands of miles up from our little street! It's quite hard to imagine that astronauts from different parts of the globe are conducting scientific tests; probably at this very moment.

1841

K and I went shopping for groceries last week. Our food bill came out to $18.41 in change. I gave the young female cashier a 20 and as she was counting out my change I thought out loud: "Hmm... 1841 was a good year. With somewhat of a perplexed look, the cashier said: "What did you say?" Well anyway, here is a little taste of what happened in 1841.

08/21: John Hampson patents the venetian blind.
03/22: Cornstarch is patented by Orlando Jones.
12/31: Alabama becomes the first state to license dental surgeons.
04/20: The first detective store is published. Edgar Alan Poe's:"Murders in the Rue Morgue."
09/09: Great Lakes Steamer "Erie" sinks off Silver Creek NY, killing 300.
06/24: Fordham University (then St. John's College), opens in the Bronx.

Born: George Melville, popular explorer and naval engineer.
Died: President William Henry Harrison. He was the first president to die in office.

Just 1 Question.

The everlasting question of the early '80's was (is according VH-1 Classic): Did video kill the radio star? Nope, I don't think so.

Hello All Fellow Lesbians!

I've always been fascinated how people use words without knowing their true meaning. For example, the the use of the word "Lesbos." I've heard certain kids around the campus here at college refer it to female homosexuality. In reality, however, the word Lesbos is really "an island of Greece, 632 square miles in area, in the Aegean off the western coast of Turkey."* A native or resident of Lesbos are commonly referred to as Lesbian(s).
In all fairness, though, if one does look at the fourth meaning of (small l) lesbian it does say:"Relating to, or characteristic of female homosexuals."
I think that we have to be a little bit more consious and take the time to look in a good Dictionary to find out the true meaning(s) of our english language.

*Text taken from the: The American Heritage Dictionary Of The English Language. New College Edition

A Mug Of Tea At 5 Degrees

We woke up this morning to find out the kiddies have a 2 hour delay from school. Days like this can really mess up the daily routine. Instead of Dave going to school at 7:30am he now has to go at 9:30am. Tot from 7:45am to 9:45am. The caboose (Hannah) from 8:30am to 10:30am.
Our furnace is working very efficiently since the gas company serviced it last week so we are nice and warm.
The temperature on the Weather Bug is holding steady at 5 as of this posting; but with a hot cup of tea at hand, life is good.

For The Love Of Money: Thanks For The Memory

Well, after 18 years of choir directing; this too has come to pass. Like Jesus said as he was hanging on the Cross: "It is finished." I have no regrets, no malice or hatred towards my faithful choir members or any of the "flock" at H**C. Some higher Church officials, at times, dictate the future of things in their parish without thinking the important decisions through. They tend to look at the short term picture not long term.
We, as Orthodox Christians, look at our Church as "life boats on the stormy sea of life." Higher authorities sometimes make sudden decisions that steer the life boat onto the rocks of, self-interest, greed, and love of money, thus jeopardizing the spiritually of all who are trying to grow closer to God and His Church.

Liturgical music in the Orthodox Church is an important part of liturgy. Without semi-trained choir members and a director that knows the "rubric" of each service, liturgical worship can be disrupted. Examples of distractions are: loud individual voices heard over the entire choir, bad vocal intonation, and long pauses between the choir and clergy. In fact, according to the Holy Fathers of the Church, this type of worship is considered to be heresy. According to the Abridged Typicon (a book of the order and conduct of divine services) it sums up liturgical singing this way:

"The majority of the faithful are not experts on singing. But ask this
majority what it expects from Church singing and what kind of
it wishes, and the majority will answer: give us such singing which
will touch the heart; which will move us to tears of emotion; which
will lift up our spirit and help us to pray."*

The bottom line is: without a trained choir director at the helm of the choir; spirituality and worship place second fiddle greed and love of money. Worship may well become a "spiritual cesspool."

Thanks for the memory.

Peace

*Taken from: "Abridged Typicon" St. Tikhon's Seminary Press. 1985.