Award-ish Things

Catholic New Media - Nominations
As I mentioned before, the Catholic New Media Awards are accepting nominations. I finally got done making mine ... it really gets tough respecting nominating only one person per category. Great idea but winnowing down the many wonderful blogs and podcasts is not easy.

By the way, be sure to check out their FAQ with any questions. I'm just trying to save you from looking as stupid as I did after I emailed asking, "What the heck is a People's Choice Award?" Only to find out that it was the first question in their FAQ. Although, not one to throw out the baby with the bath water, I am pleased to see that my guess was right. They could also have called it the "Wild Card" award.

2009 Cannonball Awards - Polls Open
I see that while my back was turned (and while I was knitting furiously ... yes, furiously ... on that Baby Bobbi bear this weekend) the polls opened for the 2009 Cannonball Awards. Voting is open through May 23 so you have a nice long time to check out all the entries in the categories. Vote (and view nominations) by clicking on the categories in the sidebar.

If you're at a loss as to who to select in the Spiritual Treat category, you certainly may feel free to click on Happy Catholic. Likewise, may I recommend in the Best Blog by a Heretic, voting for my pal Good News Film Reviews. Heck, follow the link and go read his review of The Wrestler. Rose already told me all about it but after reading his review I may go ahead and watch it anyway. Yes. He's that good.

Reason #3,476 I Love the Internet

Because you can read Bram Stoker's Dracula ... real time!

YES!

Quick, go check it out. It's May 4 ... and that is the diary entry for today in Jonathan Harker's journal.

And puhleez, don't even comment on how easily entertained I am. I already know. Via Neatorama.

Happy Anniversary ... to Me!

More properly, Happy Anniversary to Happy Catholic.

I was reading Pioneer Woman's anniversary post, when it suddenly sprang to my startled mind that I began this blog sometime in early May. Didn't I?

When I checked the archives, I see that it was five years ago on May 2.

Did you catch that?

Five. years. ago.

Well, knock me over with a feather. No wonder I have 8,126 posts. Plus this one, natch.

I remember well those shy days of cringing when I pushed the "publish post" button and dared enter the blogosphere ... I don't think that lurking counted as being part of the blogosphere. I was a first class lurker though. It didn't take me all that long to get used to just putting it out there (we're not going to get into whether that is bad or good ... remember this is a celebration).

My first posts, on May 2, 2004, were:

• Work is Spiritual ... quoting extensively from a book.
• Jesus' Temptations in the Wilderness ... again quoting extensively from a book
• A Gaelic Blessing ... called down upon whoever stole our lawnmower that day ... my attempt at humor

So I see that I began as I meant to go on. Lots of other people's thoughts and my own attempts at humor. (ha! well, at least I make myself laugh ... someone's gotta!)

Much thanks to those who have been here from the beginning ... all 10 of you!

And many thanks also to those who have dropped in along the way and then kept coming back.

I am enjoying every minute of it (and we all know it's all about me, right?). Hopefully there is a bit of entertainment and information here for you as well.

A Little Weekend Reading

The Shroud of Turin in 2010 ... prompted by the news that the shroud will be exhibited next year, The Anchoress follows her thoughts to the fact that although the shroud may show us Jesus it does not reflect Jesus. Exactly. Maybe that's why I've never cared about it one way or the other. A good contemplation no matter which side of the fence you sit on.

Angels and Demons

Golly. I thought ANGELS AND DEMONS by Dan Brown would turn out to be just an ordinary run-of-the-mill Catholic-bashing hate-fest. But, no, the whoppers told strain credulity. Do people actually know that little about history? It seems that they do.

... John C. Wright writhes in agony over the many historical inaccuracies in Dan Brown's latest work to come to film. Why this surprises him I am not sure as Brown is not accurate about much as far as I know. I always like Wright's turn of phrase and, for me anyway, he is never a waste of time to read. Especially as as a few of Tom's relatives took the Da Vinci Code as gospel truth and wearied us excessively by quoting it as proof of the Church's dastardly doings. *sigh* We might as well be prepared right now for the next round ...

Well, That Was a Surprise!

Nominations are closed over at The Crescat's 2009 Cannonball Awards.

No, that isn't the surprise.

The surprise was seeing that Happy Catholic has been nominated in the Best Spiritual Treat category.

Thank you, mysterious nominator. You made my day!

Also, I nominated one of the nicest and best heretical bloggers I know in the (natch) Best Blog by a Heretic category ... Good News Film Reviews. His post on this nomination is hilarious and the badge is to die for (but not before we pull you away from The Dark Side, Scott!).

2009 Pandemic of Stupidity

Regardless of the big picture, we can testify that here in the DFW area, people are freaking out on a major scale.

The Ft. Worth school system canceled school for about a week because three students came down with the virus. They have now canceled Mayfest, an annual festival.

A friend tells me that an acquaintance of hers was fretting last night because "if they close the borders then how are we going to get produce?" This sent others off on emergency runs to the store where they found that masks are all sold out.

I hope the authorities and the media are happy ... our national freak-out is on schedule and progressing well.

Now I see, via Neatorama, that scientists are saying that this flu strain is milder than the regular winter flu.

"Let's not lose track of the fact that the normal seasonal influenza is a huge public health problem that kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. alone and hundreds of thousands around the world," said Dr. Christopher Olsen, a molecular virologist who studies swine flu at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison.

His remarks Wednesday came the same day Texas authorities announced that a nearly 2-year-old boy with the virus had died in a Houston hospital Monday.

"Any time someone dies, it's heartbreaking for their families and friends," Olsen said. "But we do need to keep this in perspective."

There is much more. Go read it all. Please.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Because I don't know about where you live but 'round here it's grilling season all year ... and most certainly it was last weekend. Grab it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

The Flu View from Inside Mexico

Interesting to read the reactions there from various bloggers living in Mexico:

• Midwesterner in Mexico has lots o' links as well as good photos documenting their light-hearted take on things (they're eating lots of bacon ...)
• billieblog from whence I got the above link, talks about how quiet the streets are
• Mexico Bob, one of my favorite new blogs and one that I think maybe billieblog turned me onto also, has a fascinating contemplation about God, viruses, and his own faith journey. Worth reading for sure.
  

10 Secrets of the Vatican Exposed!

Actually, I'm going to share number ten from this list that I know will interest readers a lot. It is from Mental Floss magazine which is one of the very few magazines that I subscribe to.

Even the ATMs Are in Latin

The Vatican Bank is the only bank in the world that allows ATM users to select Latin to perform transactions. That’s just one symbol of the Holy See’s continued devotion to the language. Pope Benedict XVI has been particularly passionate about reviving the language and purportedly holds many informal conversations in Latin. (Pope John Paul II generally spoke Polish.)

The Vatican’s Latin Foundation tries to keep the language relevant by translating modern phrases into the ancient tongue. In 2003, they released an updated dictionary that included the terms “rush hour” (tempus maximae frequentiae) and “dishwasher” (escariorum lavatory). Interestingly, the translations can have serious consequences. A recent U.S. lawsuit was brought against the Vatican for conspiring to protect a child-molesting priest, and it was held up for months as the Church’s experts rejected the prosecuting team’s Latin translations of terms such as “conspiracy to commit fraud.”

I like the idea of Pope Benedict chit chatting in Latin. Though not if I were around. Then it wouldn't be a bit enjoyable ...

Happy Birthday, Dearest Tom

That is not a photo of my cake but it looks as if chocoholic Tom would like it ... so we'll see how close I can get to reproducing it with Chocolate Buttermilk Cake and Chocolate Malt Frosting.

Happy Birthday to my dear and darling husband!

Harry Dresden and How Diplomacy is Done

"This is not how diplomacy is done," Anastasia said as we approached the Chateau Raith.

"You're in America now," I said. "Our idea of diplomacy is showing up with a gun in one hand and a sandwich in the other and asking which you'd prefer."

Anastasia's mouth curved up at one corner. "You brought a sandwich?"

"Who do I look like, Kissinger?"

Lord knows I love a funny smart mouth detective.

Finally got my hands on Jim Butcher's latest Harry Dresden, Turn Coat. It's keeping me up way too late at night. I'm loving it.

Vinegar Peace by Michael Bishop featured at StarShipSofa

Tony of the StarShipSofa podcast writes to tell me:

StarShipSofa narrates Vinegar Peace, a SF story wrote by Michael Bishop for his son, Jamie Bishop, who died two years ago at the Virginia Tech shooting.

StarShipSofa is very honoured and humbled to be allowed to bring this story to a wider audience. I know I speak for the SF community when I say our hearts and prayers go out to Mike and Jeri and all the families who have to live with this grief every day.

Get the story itself here (and read Michael Bishop's message that accompanies it) if you aren't already subscribed through iTunes.

Movie Review: Stranded

On October 13, 1972, a young rugby team called "The Old Christians" from Montevideo, Uruguay, boarded a plane for a match in Chile--and then vanished into thin air. ... 16 of the 45 passengers miraculously resurfaced. ... Thirty-five years later, the survivors returned to the crash site--known as the Valley of Tears--to recount in their own words their harrowing story of defiant endurance, intense spirituality, and indestructible friendship. ... this shocking true story finally gets the cinematic treatment it deserves. Visually breathtaking and crafted with riveting detail by documentary filmmaker (and childhood friend of the survivors) Gonzalo Arijon with a masterful combination of on-location interviews, archival footage and reenactments, Stranded is a hauntingly powerful and spiritually moving celebration of humanity.

If a rugby team and the Andes were ever mentioned to me I very vaguely would remember something about a plane crash and the survivors having to turn to cannibalism to stay alive. That was all I knew and frankly I never gave it much thought. After watching this DVD, I can say that there are hidden depths to this story that make one reflect for days afterward the indefatigability of the human spirit and tenacity of our survival instinct.

The "Old Christians" rugby team with family and friends boarded their plane in a carefree, holiday frame of mind. Most were 19 years old from upper class families. These were pampered kids dressed for spring weather who were not equipped for wilderness survival. The plane ran into a storm system high above the Andes that crashed them in the middle of a forbidding landscape. At first, grieving for those who died in the crash, tending to survivors, they waited for a rescue team to pick them up within a few hours. However, this was not to happen. As day after day went by, they began dealing with the rigors of the climate, lack of food, and the uncertainty that comes with not knowing if rescue would ever come. Eventually, with survival uppermost in their minds, they were forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive.

This story is told strictly through the words of the survivors, their family members, and others who were part of the story. We see the faces of the men telling their story, woven with beautifully and sensitively reenacted scenes to take us through the story. There is never a single word of narration. This forces a slow pace that I found frustrating at first. I longed for a narrator to clarify locations, time lines, and provide an omniscient point of view. Gradually, I realized that we would eventually receive all that information just as everyone else did at the time. This put us even further into the story with the men, agonizing as no one came to help, suffering as they realized what must happen to survive, and holding out hope even when uncaring nature seemed certain to leave none of them alive.

The story unfolds on two levels. First, there are the simple mechanics of the rescue. I had no idea if they were found or rescued themselves, how long they endured this time stranded, or what they actually went through simply to survive on the mountain. I am deliberately refraining from discussing these details so that any similarly unaware viewers may also follow the story as it develops. Rest assured that the story is simply incredible.

Secondly, there was the spiritual and mental level of survival. The promotional materials I received for the movie spoke stirringly of how they survived with the aid of their Catholic faith. This actually was not an overarching theme and depended largely on the individual person, as one might expect with any group of people. Occasionally one person or another would speak about how saying the rosary helped him at a particular moment. Another would talk about a time when he felt distinctly the presence of God. Regardless, one cannot miss the many images of hands telling the rosary beads that the director shows in the background time and again, even when no direct words are speaking about faith.

A particularly moving instance is when the survivors talk about when they realized that they were going to have to eat the dead in order to live. I don't know why this never occurred to me but it is not as if it were a plane full of strangers, which would be horrific enough in itself. These people were all friends and, in some cases, close family members. Just watching the faces of those speaking gives an immense depth of feeling to the horror of the very idea when it surfaces and then again when it becomes clear that cannibalism must be carried out. For those who were deeply Catholic, the thought that helped carry them through was that Christ himself gave his body and blood to his followers through Holy Communion. They said that if Christ did such a thing surely they would be forgiven for following those actions through their extreme reluctance. This subject is treated with the utmost respect and reverence on all levels.

One thing that we realize above all is how precious life is, that it is worth fighting for, and just how much these men love each other both in life and in death. Especially touching was seeing the men visit the crash site with their children and the children of those who never left the mountain.

Highly recommended.

Some Good Trashy Vacation Reading Recommendations

A friend wrote:

I know this is random, but I need your recommendations for trashy vacation reading. I'm asking for page turners here. I like mysteries but do not like serial killer genres. Doesn't have to be a mystery. Series are good. I've read the Stephanie Plum and True Blood series. No Dean Koonz or Danielle Steele. If you don't want me to share your name because you are too ashamed of the series you are recommending (e.g, derby roller-blading vampires), I will keep you anonymous.

Now we all know I have taken a certain amount of flack already for liking the Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum) series, up to about #12 anyway ... then I finally had had enough of that formula.

My off-the-top-of-my-head list follows, with an R rating applied t0 a few of them for ... oh, come on, you know what for ... R is for racy!

• I really love the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Every so often a book will have something ... shall we call it "racy"? ... but that varies. Harry's a smart mouth and these books will make me laugh out loud. As the back of his latest book said, like Spenser with magic.
  
  
• A new favorite book of mine, racy in a couple of spots, is Grimspace by Ann Aguirre. It is space opera.It has a sequel but I didn't like it which was disappointing.
  
  
• War of the Oaks is urban fantasy ... not a fantasy but I have loved everything of Emma Bull's that I've read. Also recommended is Territory ... a true blue Western set in Tombstone but ...with magic! Isn't everything better with magic?
  
  
• Sunshine by Robin McKinley ... vampires, cinnamon bun baking and a couple of touches of raciness.
  
  
• Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly ... or, frankly, most of Hambly's early stuff. NOT her later things or her mystery series set in New Orleans which is good but very, very dark.
  
  
• Also, I thought of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. 1st of a series but I didn't like the second book and didn't finish it. Truly a potboiler with time travel, Scottish rogues, evil British officers and much raciness.
  
  
• Not trashy, but sure to make you feel like it is when you have to venture into the Romance section of the book store, are Georgette Heyer's novels. Funny, frothy, smart romances that are the first Regency Romances. Not to be missed.
  
  
• I'm also partial to a few Barbara Michael titles: Shattered Silk, Into the Darkness, and Stitches in Time. Classic gothic-style romance but written and set in the 1970s (?).
  
  
• Barbara Michael's alter-ego is Elizabeth Peters. So you get the gothic-style romances with a humorous twist. My favorite series of hers is the Vickie Bliss mysteries, though I think the most popular is the Amelia Peabody series. I liked the first book but detested Amelia's son so very, very much that I never read past the second book.

UPDATED TO ADD:

• Charles de Lint. I like his older books better than the newer. Moon Heart, Jack the Giant Killer, Drink Down the Moon (Jack's sequel), The Riddle of the Wren, and Mulengro. Elizabeth Anne reminded me of him in the comments and says: If you like Emma Bull, you would love Charles deLint. He writes both short stories and full length novels that went a long way towards inventing the genre. "Forests of the Heart" is one my absolute favorites of his novels, and "Dreams Underfoot" is probably where people start. It's a collection of short stories that introduces his usual "cast" of characters. "Seven Wild Sisters" is a stand alone that is deeply beautiful,and makes me want seven daughters of my own.
  
  
• The Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis features a cynical, sharp-witted gumshoe in Imperial Rome in 70 A.D. He goes from small case to small case, always short of cash and late on his rent. When he rescues Helena, a senator’s niece, from a kidnapping attempt he is flung headfirst into murder, plots in the Emperor’s family, and a trip to Britain where he winds up working as a slave in a silver mine (the first book in the series, Silver Pigs). Davis has a touch for humor, romance, and suspense as we follow Falco’s adventures. Part of the charm of these books is following Falco’s life as we see him move from case to case and in the process meet other members of his large family, watch changes in the neighbors’ lives, and see if he is lucky in love. Davis is a master storyteller and despite the solid historical setting, her hero has enough modern touches to make us relate to his life without feeling as if the up-to-date attitude is false. I was also reminded of this series by Elizabeth Anne, a.k.a. my light reading soulmate, who says:If you just plain like that noir tone but are intersted in historical fiction, I'd also strongly recommend the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis. They're books about ancient Rome that even us Classicists love. If Sam Spade had lived under the emperor Vespasian, this would have been his story. "The Silver Pigs"is the first in the series, and is now back in print. There's also, I think, something of the Cadfael about Falco. Oh, he's tough and jaded, but he also has a large, sprawling Italian family. In case anyone is intimidated by the setting, it's extremely true to history, but not intimidating. Davis is writing for an audience that knows little about Rome beyond Ben Hur and Gladiator, so while history buffs will get a kick out of seeing Rome in 70 AD brought to life, those who aren't won't be left in the dust.

Ok, never let it be said that I don't let it all hang out for y'all.

I know there's some great stuff I either missed or just never heard of ... I'm looking forward to recommendations from you, the great blogosphere reading public!

$700 ... that's a lot to pay for a Pittsburgh Pilgrimage

Allegheny Building
taken by Father Pitt

This may not be the best time in the economy to plan a pilgrimage, some people may be thinking "especially to Pittsburgh." But why not fly in the face of conventional wisdom, right? I did want to take a second here to address something that was brought up by a commenter.

Agreed. $700 is a lot. However, it's chock full of value.

Let's just look quickly again at what that $700 buys:

• 4-night stay at the Wyndham in the University area ... this is about 3/4 of the cost and is an excellent price for a hotel anywhere, much less a top flight hotel in the heart of a vibrant central location in a city
  
  
• Welcome dinner on Mount Washington ... the most scenic location in Pittsburgh to have a meal overlooking the valley and downtown at night. Purposely chosen for unique Pittsburgh flavah.
  
  
• Admittance to tour attractions including the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum
  
  
• Talk by Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey, noted Catholic authors and Pittsburgh afficionados ... including a copy of their latest book, Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians, to be signed afterwards
  
  
• Special tour guides, Mike Aquilina and Chris Bailey, afore-mentioned Pittsburgh afficionados will show us why Pittsburgh is in its third renaissance. They'll also take us to special Catholic sites in a place where Catholicism has thrived for over 200 years. For further looks, check out Mike's recent talk about Pittsburgh or Chris's excellent Father Pitt blog.
  
  
• Pittsburgh info for planning your free time in advance ... a.k.a. Moon Guide to Pittsburgh with items of interest marked.
  
  
• Movie talk night ... dessert, coffee, and a movie ... as well as the book sent to you ahead of time so we'll have a chance to discuss where the book and movie differ.

Of course, the opportunity to have several days of give and take with like-minded Catholics in a unique community setting is priceless. N'est ce pas?

As I said, the economy's tough and this might not be the way you want to spend your hard-earned cash. But you gotta admit, there's plenty of bang for the buck there.

More details about the pilgrimage can be found here.

The Anchoress Has Moved

Same great writing, just a new spot over at First Things. Yep, she's in the swanky end of the blogosphere, y'all. If she's a daily read for you like she is for me then you'll want to update your feed with this address:

http://www.firstthings.com/theanchoress/

Putting Her Money Where Her Mouth Is: Mary Ann Glendon Declines Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal

In the continuing protests against Notre Dame inviting President Obama to speak at commencement and giving him an award, a new, strong voice speaks up. Mary Ann Glendon both declines a prestigious award and clearly sets out her reasons for doing so in a letter that was faxed at 9:30 this morning to the university's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. Read it at First Things. Well done Ms. Glendon.

Product Review: Garofalo Pasta

Pick up this tasty morsel over at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

And Now, For Something Completely Different ...

I just saw the list of Nebula winners and the nominated story I read for StarShipSofa won (Trophy Wives - Nina Kiriki Hoffman). I liked that story and was struck at how much it made me think of a fairy tale while not being a fairy tale at all.

I would have picked as a winner either 26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss by Kij Johnson or The Dreaming Wind by Jeffrey Ford. Nothing against the winner, I simply liked their free-wheeling originality. If you haven't listened to those stories, do go give at least those three a try ... and then venture further and listen to the rest.

Review of Lamentation

A pillar of black smoke rises from the plains where the ruins of a city lie. Four people watch it. Petros, an old fisherman; Nebios, a boy who is the only eyewitness; Rudolfo, the Gypsy King and Lord of the Ninefold Forest; and Jin Lee Tam, consort of a powerful madman. Each takes up the story in turn and we learn as they do what has happened and what changes it bodes for the Named Lands.

Through their eyes, Ken Scholes masterfully unfolds layer upon layer of complexity to reveal an epic tale of the struggle not only for power but to serve the Light. This struggle between vengeance, knowledge, mercy, and justice is what drives the main characters. Scholes takes us into a world where Machiavellian politics are constantly intertwined between characters’ motivations. However, because he uses interesting characters to tell his story, it always feels personal and we realize the “epic” quality only as we look back over storyline development. As well, he skillfully manipulates these believable people (and, let us admit it, his readers as well) so that I literally went from worrying about one character being killed to hating him to coming back into sympathy and understanding again by the end of the book. In the end, what we see is that despite epic qualities, the question the book is asking is a simple one. Who was the evil mastermind that destroyed Windwir and why?

Read my entire review of this brilliant book over at SFFaudio.